


Let Him Be Soft

by fanbird



Series: The Life and Times of Tony Stark [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Blowjobs, Bottom Tony Stark, Dead May Parker (Spider-Man), Hurt/Comfort, Irondad, M/M, Peter Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective Steve Rogers, Rimming, Sassy Peter Parker, Sex Trafficking, Steve Rogers Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Superfamily (Marvel), Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, dont let that deter you, i have a soft spot for subby tony but its not a big deal you can ignore it if ya want, minor bdsm, not any more graphic than the first story in series, spiderson, the sex trafficking ring is shut down in like the third chapter, theres smut too so these tags are related to that not to the v minor sex trafficing stuff ok cool, whump tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:48:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 21
Words: 23,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24844837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanbird/pseuds/fanbird
Summary: Tony continues to heal and rebuild after a life filled with its share of trouble. Luckily, he's got Steve by his side.Peter Parker is 15 and has far too much in common with Tony.Takes place roughly six months after Life and Times (which I recommend you read first but do you) and will be more angst, hurt/comfort, Tony and Peter dealing with trauma, superpowers, etc! Also it's superfamily, if you couldn't feel that comin.
Relationships: Steve Rogers & Tony Stark
Series: The Life and Times of Tony Stark [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1709143
Comments: 30
Kudos: 100





	1. The Alumni

**Author's Note:**

> TW: pretty much listed in the tags as far as this first chapter goes.  
> Peter is a CHILD and is being ABUSED, just like, as the author, know that I know that. So tw: for the sexualization of a child and implied physical and sexual abuse

The sun had just set over the city as Tony flew above the Hudson River, trying desperately to clear his mind. For months now they’d been working on infiltrating a sex trafficking ring that had damn near every person in power on their side. The FBI had approached Pepper directly, asking for Tony’s help specifically. Once he’d caught up on what the feds had gathered he had agreed immediately. They’d traced the ring as far as an elite boarding school; Tony’s old school. 

_ “Sir, it is now 8:30.” _

“Tell them I’m on my way.” 

\---------------------

Steve was sitting on the couch, retying his shoes for the eighth time since he put them on. They’d been tied correctly after the second time, but he found himself relieved to have something to do with his hands. 

Tony walked out of the bedroom, having swapped the iron suit for his evening attire. He was wearing an impeccably tailored black tuxedo, his bowtie hanging loose around his neck. “Stop doing that, it’s annoying.” 

Steve’s eyes darted over to Tony, finishing tying his shoes and standing up. “Sorry...Are you nervous? I’m nervous. I feel like-” 

Tony sighed and turned towards the entryway mirror, hands working efficiently at his bowtie. “It’s gonna be fine. I just need to mingle with these fuckin’ creeps and find our contact. You have the easy part, sit there, and look pretty.” He straightened his bowtie and dropped his hands to his sides, turning back to look at Steve. 

“I know you’re nervous, I’m not exactly thrilled to be doing this either, but we need to.” He said more gently. “We have to help and if my fucked up lineage is what gives us an in, so be it.”

Steve nodded, leaning down to kiss Tony’s cheek before straightening back up. His face was now serious, all traces of anxiety pushed away. “You’re right. Let’s do this.” 

The two-hour drive upstate felt never-ending, the car filled with an awkward silence. Happy had been uncharacteristically professional and Steve had brought up the weather, the actual weather, no less than three times before giving up. As they got closer to the school Tony contemplated saying something, something reassuring and emotionally mature, hell maybe even vulnerable. But then the car stopped. 

Happy got out of the car and moved to open the door for the men in the back to exit. “I’ll be out here if you need me, Boss.” 

“No offense, but I’m taking the muscle in with me.” Tony teased, holding his arm out for Steve to link his through before heading up the stone staircase. 

“ _ This _ is the school? It looks like a damn castle.” Steve huffed, taking in the perfectly cultivated gardens and main building. They were greeted by event staff at the top of the stairs, a pretty young woman dressed in a low cut dress. “Good evening, gentleman. The main ballroom is ahead and to the right, a reminder that no photos are allowed inside and the upper levels are completely off-limits to guests. Have a wonderful time.” 

Tony glanced around as they made their way towards the ballroom, “All right, time to mingle. Remember, we're here to schmooze and find Mr. Parker. I’ll do all the talking, just be my young hot boyfriend.” He cringed and lowered his voice, “Emphasis on the young.” 

Steve’s arm tightened in Tony’s slightly, but he forced back the bile threatening to rise as they entered the ballroom. A band filled the stage and tables were placed around the room, away from the dance floor. Steve counted quickly and noted there were only 35 seats, not a large event by any means. Pepper had said it was for only the most elite alumni, with the deepest pockets. 

“Thank you.” Tony took two drinks from a passing server, handing one to Steve just as an older man strolled up to them. 

“Anthony! What a delight to see you, we’ve missed you at these dinners. Always nice to have the more accomplished alumnus in attendance.” He chortled, scanning Steve from top to bottom with a sly smile. 

Tony sent back a dazzling smile, sipping at his champagne before answering. “Cyrus, always lovely to see you. I’ve been busy but I decided it was high time I gave this place the credit it deserves for shaping the greatest mind in tech.” 

“Indeed, you’ve made quite a name for yourself since your time here.” Another guest caught Cyrus’s eye and he politely excused himself, leaving the couple alone again. 

\----------------------

The evening went as expected, dinner, mingling, and a droning presentation of the school's different financial interests. The night was coming to a close and there was still no sign on their contact, not even a mention of him. Although he’d been steering clear of the definite creeps, which probably wasn’t aiding his endeavor. Tony cleared his throat and picked up another glass of champagne before standing, leaving Steve sitting at the table. “Wish me luck.” He muttered, crossing the room towards the man he’d been avoiding all night. 

“Anty, I was wondering when you’d come to say hello.” Ty grinned, slinging an arm over Tony’s shoulders once he was close enough. Ty was standing with two other men, all tucked away into a corner. 

“Well, I had to mingle with the lesser of the guests before I could slip away.” Tony grinned back, biting the inside of his cheek as he did. He could practically feel Steve’s eyes burning holes into his back but he did his best to ignore it. “So, what are you boys talking about?”

One of the other men answered with a smirk, “You actually. Well, your arm candy anyway. The pictures don’t do him justice.” 

Tony hummed noncommittally, taking another sip of his champagne. “They really don’t. You think he’s pretty now, Marcus, you should see what’s under the suit.”

“Oh, I’d love nothing more. He’s a young man, isn’t he?” 

“I’m sure you would but I don’t share well, I just like to brag.” Tony teased, pulling out every trick he had to keep the conversation light and playful; all while fighting the panic that came from Ty’s hands being on him. “He’s 27, depending on who you ask.” 

“And he won’t ever get older, you lucky son of a bitch. If only you’d managed to get him frozen younger.” Marcus laughed, “Now, Tiberius here, he’s got a sweet deal.” 

Tony turned his head to the man in question, raising an eyebrow. “Oh? Do tell.” 

Ty’s face broke into a twisted smile, “He’s a student here, a junior. Very bright, lots of potential. And an ass that just won’t quit.” He dropped his voice on the last bit, whispering it conspiratorially. Tony took another drink to hide the flare of his nostrils. The age of consent in New York was 17, so feasibly this junior could be of age, but somehow he doubted it. 

They were interrupted by Cyrus stepping into the stage and gathered everyone’s attention. “Thank you all for being here tonight, you are most valued. Now, to wrap up the official business I’d like to invite a student to speak with you all about our current initiatives.” 

This piqued Tony’s interest. It was nearly 11, far too late for a student to be out of their dorm- let alone be doing this. It was only then that he noticed a young man, or an older boy really, standing near the stage. He was wearing a well fitted grey suit (frankly it was a little too tight through the thighs and ass but Tony had a sickening feeling that was intentional) with a light blue button-down, the top two buttons undone. 

Ty dropped his arm from Tony’s shoulders as they all started back for their seats, “And here he is now like I said ass that won’t quit.”

“Please join me in welcoming to the stage, Mr. Parker.” 

_ Oh fuck _


	2. Damn Sure We'll Avenge Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're closing in on them but Tony takes matters into his own hands.

“Mr. Parker, what a lovely presentation. You certainly seem passionate about your studies.” Steve greeted as he and Tony approached the boy. Nightcaps were being poured by most of the guests, leaving Peter alone for the first time since leaving the stage. 

“Just Peter, please. It’s an honor to meet you, Captain Rogers.” Peter smiled, turning to Tony when he finally spoke rather abruptly. 

“I didn’t think you’d be so young.” 

Peter rolled his eyes, dropping both pretense and his volume. “Well, that’s to be expected, given what you’re here for. Tuesday night, Soho House, we’ll be stumbling out of private room 18 around 2 am.” 

Tony faltered, “Wh-no, I meant-” 

Steve was quick to step in, nodding once, “Then we’ll be in room 17.” Peter gave a small smile, though it didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Not you, Captain Rogers. Just Mr. Stark. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He finished, stepping away from them to meet Ty who was beckoning him over, giving Tony a mildly dubious look as Peter made his way over. 

Tiberius broke eye contact when Peter reached him, pulling the boy close to his side and dropping a hand to his ass. 

Tony grit his teeth, finding the sudden vice grip of Steve’s hand somehow grounding. Steve loosened his grip slightly and let out a slow, measured breath. “Let’s get out of here, we got what we needed.” 

Tony watched as Ty led Peter out of the room, several of the guests blatantly checking out the younger boy as they went. “Yeah, let's go.” 

—————

After the silent car ride back to the tower Tony had immediately retreated to his lab, and Steve knew better than to follow him. What a shit show. He sent off the report to their FBI contact and went to the gym to decompress (and if he imagined Tiberius Stone's face on the punching bag, well no one needed to know).

The whole thing was sickening. The picture was starting to more fully develop as they were closing in on the men at the top. He couldn’t get Peter's face out of his head though. The sweet smile and bright eyes when he got to talk about the school programs. He was a bright kid, that much was more than clear. He’d also been invaluable in taking down the operation. He’d been recruited (god, the thought alone made Steve’s blood boil) when Ty met him at an event and was moved to the school upstate almost immediately. He initially helped bring in other kids for money he desperately needed, but he became Ty’s favorite early on and had gotten more privileges. 

He’d identified all the top players, given information on the international trafficking, listed victims, worn a wire, and provided more information than they’d ever have gathered on their own- all without tipping anyone off. 

Tony still hadn’t surfaced from the lab, but he was willing to bet the image of the kid hadn’t left his boyfriend's mind either. Tony hadn’t said a word the whole ride back, and Steve hadn’t tried to initiate any conversation. He could only imagine what a rough night it had been for Tony and he felt at a loss. 

He had a nagging feeling, one he couldn’t push back, that Tony was going to do something.

He grabbed a book and a blanket and made his way to the landing pad, settling on the ground with his back to the wall. Sure enough, several hours and half a novel later, Tony stormed out onto the landing pad, already in his suit. Steve set aside his book and cleared his throat, suppressing an endeared smile when Tony nearly jumped out of his suit. “Where ya headed?”

The faceplate on the suit slid up, revealing and incredibly pissed Tony. “I can’t do nothing, they have enough, the fuckin raid is gonna take forever and there are kids over there  _ now _ . You can’t stop me, Cap.” 

“Who said I was gonna try?” 

It was only when Steve stood up that Tony realized he was already suited up, shield leaning against the wall next to him, mostly concealed in the shadows. He let out a huff that could have been relief, a laugh, or some combination of both as Steve put his shield on his back and closed the distance between them. 

“Think I could get a lift?”

“Anything for you, Capsicle.” Tony grinned before the faceplate snapped back down. 


	3. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tony start to unravel the knot this mission has tied them in. Peter makes a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter is short! Thank you for all the kudos and comments, they make my day! I hope you like where the story is headed if you have suggestions or ideas drop them in the comments!

Steve set Maggie, a red-headed little girl no older than 8, down by the ambulances. “Alright kiddo, Jason here is gonna get you all checked out and put a bandage on that scrape. You gonna be okay?”

Maggie looked up at Steve, then to the EMT who was waiting patiently for her, before nodding. Steve filled Jason in on the injuries he’d noticed before turning away. He ran a hand through his sweat matted hair as he surveyed the aftermath of the raid. 

He and Tony had shown up and evacuated most of the students before anyone could notice. He’d been working on getting the last batch outside when he heard a scream followed by a crash. Jamie, an older girl, maybe 16, had put a hand on Steve’s arm with a grim face. “I’ll get them outside, you go.” Steve had nodded and squeezed her hand, hesitant to leave any of the kids alone. Luckily Nat was outside along with the waiting EMT’s and police, and he trusted her to make sure no one got near the children that wasn’t supposed to. 

“Okay, get out of here. Down these stairs and out the ground floor window, go outside and wait with the officers.” He conceded before taking off in the direction the sound had come from. 

He shook his head and tried to push the image from his mind (damn eidetic memory). Tony had several men, including Tyberius, against a wall, repulsors aimed at them, and teeth bared. Peter had been sitting on the bed, face vacant, wrapped tightly in only a blanket. He’d called in the cops, who took the men into custody immediately. Peter had stayed on the bed, not moving, speaking, not even looking at them. 

Tony lowered his faceplate and took a few steps towards the bed, stopping with a large amount of distance between them still. “Hey, Peter?” He asked in a softer voice than Steve had ever heard. “Buddy, are you hurt?” 

Peter didn’t give any sign of having heard the man, staying silent. His hair was messy, and the blanket was slipping off of one shoulder. His suit from earlier was laying on the floor near the bathroom. Natasha was suddenly on the com asking for Steve’s help outside. He spared another glance at Tony before heading out to help Maggie, who was too afraid to come out from under a bench outside. 

“They’re all out. Going back home tonight, to their parents. CPS is going to be checking up on all of them in the next week or so, make sure the home is safe and they're adjusting alright.” Tony explained in way of greeting as he approached Steve. “The feds are taking over from here, they’re already pissed I went around them, and I already did what they needed.” He sighed. 

Steve nodded, glancing around again. He was selfishly glad it was over, the whole thing had taken a huge toll on Tony and he couldn’t wait to put it behind him. “Let’s go home, sweetheart.” He said softly, putting his shield on his back and holding a hand out for Tony. 

\--------------------------

Peter finished answering the officer's questions, nodding when he was told to cross the lawn to the CPS tent. Things were starting to settle down, more personnel arriving to help inventory evidence (including the children). He was running out of time. 

He stood up and started towards the tent, breaking left when the officer looked away from him. He ducked behind one of the SWAT cars, waiting for the coast to be clear before he disappeared into the night. 


	4. Who was that?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony can't get Peter out of his head. Meanwhile, the team gets some help from an unlikely source.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping to keep updating every day or so, but I'm posting as it's written soooo we'll see how this goes!

“Fuck!” Tony exclaimed, swiping away the holo display in frustration. It had been three months. Three fucking months since the raid and since the damn system had lost track of Peter. Predictable. 

He’d called a few days later to check up on Peter, see where he’d been placed, how he was adjusting. The more he’d learned about the kid during the case the more he felt… connected, somehow. 

But when he’d called CPS had told him that they currently didn’t have a location for him, and the only ones they could locate were all fakes. How a 15-year-old (so young, fuck) could manage to stay off of CPS, FBI, and now Ironman’s radar was beyond him. He’d started on his own a month ago, tired of waiting for CPS to get their shit together. So far no luck, all he could find out was that Peter’s parents were dead and his aunt and uncle had passed a few years back. 

Just as he was going to look over school records again the emergency alarm went off. 

\----------------

This…wasn’t ideal. Tony was man enough to admit that. There was a giant blob-thing tearing apart a Queens neighborhood and they were short-staffed. Only Steve, Tony, and Sam could make it, everyone else was out of the country or on other missions. The projectiles Tony fired weren’t working, simply bouncing off the blob, whereas anything it touched seemed to stick to it. 

Steve was busy evacuating civilians who were in danger of being attached to the alien. Sam was darting through the skies, trying to distract it, but nothing seemed to be working. 

Suddenly there was a flash of red and blue and someone (something?) came swinging through the sky. Okay, definitely a person then, Tony thought as the figure landed on the railing to a nearby balcony. As soon as he’d evaluated the scene he was off again, swinging through the sky and around the creature.

What the hell was that? Some fiber, or, wait a webbing of some kind?

In no more than two minutes the vigilante had secured the blob to the side of a parking garage, the webbing sticking to him as well as everything (but weapons, of course) had. As soon as it was subdued a crash of thunder resounded with a flash of light, revealing Thor. 

“Apologies, dear friends! This creature escaped its enclosure, I will return it at once!” 

When Thor was taking off, blob in tow, Tony looked for the masked mystery man. He flew towards him as soon as he saw him, moving across a roof with a slight limp. 

Peter jumped and winced when he heard Tony land behind him. “Do-Don’t come any closer!” He yelled, dropping his voice as much as he could. Tony held up his hands in surrender as his faceplate slid up, “Hey no, it’s okay, I just wanna talk. Are you alright, you look hurt?”

“I’m fine.” The man snapped. 

Tony squinted a little, finally taking in the appearance of the person in front of him. The body was small, petite but with clearly defined muscles. He was wearing some kind of a spandex blue bodysuit, with a red hoodie turned inside out over the top of it. The hood was up with the drawstrings pulled tight to hide his hair, and he was wearing some kind of weird goggles over his eyes. 

“Dude, how old are you, 12? And what the hell are you wearing pajamas?” Tony rambled, taking a few steps closer to Peter. “And what was coming out of you, because you should definitely see a doctor about that.” 

“Okay, one, you’re an asshole. Two, I just saved your ass, so you’re welcome.” Peter snarked, backing up to keep distance between them. He went to shoot a web at the foot of Tony’s suit, cursing when he realized he only had a little web fluid left. He hesitated for a second before turning and running at the edge of the building, jumping off. 

“Just leave me alone!” He called as he ran. 

“Hey!” Tony hollered, watching him swing from building to building before dropping to the street and disappeared into a subway station. 

“Tony? You okay?” Steve called, jogging up the stairs to the roof Tony was standing on. “Who was that guy?” 

“I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell gonna find out.”


	5. A Man on a Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve goes looking for someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Steve-centric chapter because he's been neglected!   
> Also the Roclites appear for the first time in Iron Man #55 if you were wondering

Steve slumped against the cool wall of the gym shower. The team had just returned from an all-day battle in Manhattan. A group of rouge  Roclites had invaded, somehow opening a portal right above Time Square. They were large with a dark brick complexion, only eyes and a mouth on their vaguely human faces. They were  _ strong _ , knocking Steve and Thor on their asses more than once with a simple shove.    
  


To make matters worse Sam had been taken down early, one of the Roclites ripping the wings to shreds. Tony had swooped down just in time, firing a repulsor straight into its face. That gave him long enough to evacuate Sam to the roof where Clint was camped out giving aerial support. He was safe but still hurt. Thor had been working on getting the portal closed, along with Dr. Strange who had arrived through the portal mid-battle. 

And then, shit. A flash of the now all too familiar, and yet still mysterious Spider-Boy (as Tony called him). After his first appearance at the battle of the blob, he had been showing up more and more. He’d been in the news lately too, mostly small local crime, but this Spider-Man could pack a punch. Anytime any of the team could get close to him, he’d run. Steve told them all to stop pushing. Spider-Man clearly didn’t want to be found out, and maybe being paraded around had left him with a strong opinion, but a man was entitled to his privacy. 

So, Steve backed off. He only asked Spider-Man if he was hurt, needed anything, thanked him for the help, never pressed too hard. And slowly, Steve became the one Peter was least wary of. 

But today? After the Roclites were handled and the portal was closed, Spider-Man lay in a pile on the pavement. 

“We need a medic!” Steve barked into the comms, running to Peter. “Where are you hurt?” He asked, dropping to his knees on the pavement and pulling off his cowl. 

Peter pushed his hand away weakly, “ ‘m fine.” He sat up as he did, causing him to choke on his words. He coughed violently for a minute, spitting up a bit of blood. Steve gripped both his wrists tightly, “Hey! Stay still, you could have internal bleeding.” 

Peter ripped his hands back, breaking away from Steve and scrambling backward. “Don’t fucking touch me!”

Steve raised his hands and made a mental note of how  _ strong _ this guy was. “I’m sorry! I wasn’t gonna take off your mask, you don’t have to talk to anyone, but we gotta get you checked out, son.” 

Peter hesitated for a minute and then shook his head, turning around and taking off per usual. He once again disappeared into the nearest subway station.

The fight had been rough, though everyone seemed to be alright. Sam was beat up but would be okay, Nat had sprained an ankle and would need to stay off of it for a day or two, and Steve- god, he just felt like shit.   
  


He could feel his body repairing itself, but everything ached and he was so, so tired. 

Still, he couldn’t stop thinking about Spider-Man. Tony had given up on his vow to find out who Spider-Man was fairly quickly. He wanted to know, but when Steve told them to lay off he had. He was curious, but he had bigger fish to fry, mainly finding Peter. 

He turned off the shower and headed into the bedroom, flopping onto the bed with a loud groan. Tony had already locked himself in the lab, working on repairing Sam’s wings, leaving Steve alone.  


He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. 

Then he gave up, got dressed, and left. 


	6. Call Me Son One More Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve strikes a deal with the mysterious Spider-Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely apologize for the title of this chapter. But! Were getting somewhere! Progress!

Within an hour Steve was walking the dark streets of Queens, dressed in a pair of jeans, a worn ARMY sweatshirt, and a ballcap. He’d made his way to where crime was more common, a place where Spider-Man had been spotted twice. He eventually found a bench in the middle of an area where some of the buildings were taller. 

The first time Spider-Man had made an appearance, it was in Queens. And the response time had been incredible, before police, or even some of the Avengers had made it. He had to have seen it himself. Steve had also noticed that every time he got on a train, it was headed to Queens, or at least stopped there. 

So here he was, waiting, for about three hours now. For what? He didn’t know exactly, but he was hoping to spot him. He’d looked hurt today, actually hurt. Steve was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a scuffle a block over. He crossed the street and moved to where he could observe the fight, and sure enough, there was Spider-Man, webbing a mugger to the side of a convenience store. He handed a younger lady back her backpack and looked around before swinging on top of the building and across several roofs. 

Steve tracked him to a tall apartment building, slightly run-down, but with a very friendly elderly doorman. Steve took off his hat and ran a hand over his hair, slipping inside. “Hello, I’m-” 

“Captain America!” Daryl grinned, standing on shaky legs to shake Steve’s hand. “What can I do for you, Sir?” 

“I’m surprising a friend, could you help me pull it off?” He asked with a sly smile. Soon enough he was in the elevator, taking it up to the top floor, where he looked for the roof access. 

Peter had just crawled onto the mattress he had set up under a makeshift plywood overhang, peeling off his goggles with a loud groan. He tossed them to the side of the mattress, where there was a beat-up bedside table and an equally distressed backpack. Suddenly the hair on the back of Peter’s neck stood up, his ears ringing ever so slightly. He snapped his head up, scrambling for his goggles when he saw a large man coming out of the door to the roof (which he had definitely locked, as always). 

“Easy, kid. It’s okay.” Steve walked forward, leaving a yard or so between them. 

Peter shoved his goggles back on, tilting his head in confusion when he looked up. “C-Captain America? What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

Steve shrugged, dropping down to sit on the floor, stretching his legs out in front of him and leaning back on his palms. “I was worried. A good leader always makes sure their team is alright.” He explained, watching Peter carefully. He seemed more confused than distressed, which felt like a victory. 

“As for where to find you, I just had a feelin’.” 

Peter glanced around, noting the best escape routes. (He was out of web fluid, but Steve didn’t need to know that) He fidgeted a bit, “Uh, cool, so, I didn’t want to be followed? That’s like super creepy, dude. And I know you’re from a different time and all, but that’s not really a thing anymore-”

Steve rolled his eyes, “Settle down, kid. I didn’t follow you, I went home and couldn’t sleep. I didn’t know if you were alright or not, and you’ve helped us out several times now, so.” He shrugged. “Look, you’ve walked away from too many fights. You’re clearly enhanced and have a healing factor. I know you’ll fix yourself, but today was bad, and if you had internal bleeding or a bad break you could heal wrong. I didn’t come to unmask you, or...embarass you. I’ll go if you want, I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

Peter relaxed incrementally as Steve spoke, shrugging a shoulder up and letting out a sharp gasp when he did. “Fuck!”

Steve jumped up and closed the distance between them, holding his hands up where Peter could see them. “Can I? Please?”

Peter hesitated a minute, face still twisted up in pain. He wanted nothing less than to concede, but the pain in his shoulder and back was nearly unbearable; and as Steve had mentioned, he could feel himself healing but the pain wasn’t subsiding as it normally did. “Son of a- Fuck, okay, yeah.” He gave in, biting back a whimper. 

He reached for the hem of his sweatshirt, gritting his teeth to suppress a cry. Steve helped guide it up and of his body, shaking his head as soon as he saw Peter’s shoulder. “That’s dislocated, son.”

Peter groaned loudly, rolling his eyes behind his goggles. “You can fix it right?” 

“Uh, yeah, but it’s gonna hurt.” 

Within a few minutes, Peter’s shoulder had been snapped back into place and Steve was taking in the boy in front of him. He was thin, but what Clint would call ripped, with some equation tattooed on his shoulder blade. His hair was a dark blue, hanging down in front of his eyes. He had a lip piercing, and Steve could spot a few other tattoos on his body, though they were hard to make out in the dark.   
  


“You alright?” Steve cocked his head, watching as Peter’s breathing started to even out. “You took a hell of a beatin’ today.” 

Peter pulled back on his sweatshirt carefully, wrapping his arms around himself. “I’ll be fine… Thank you, for helping with my shoulder.” 

“Of course. Like I said, I take care of my teammates.” 

“You’re not gonna tell them, right? You aren’t supposed to know I’m… out here.” Peter cringed, curling in on himself more. 

God, the kid looked so small like this. Steve shrugged, “I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t decided yet.” 

Peter’s shot up immediately, “What?! You can’t!”

Steve reached out to steady him when he almost fell over, “Careful! Look, you’re clearly young. And I figured, you’re goin’ home every night, somethin’ really bad happens someone’ll take ya to the hospital.” He rambled, starting to pace. “You’re out here alone, son! What if something happens?”

Peter jerked his arm out of Steve’s grip but didn’t run, “So what, you’re gonna take me home with you?! I’m not some stray fucking dog! I’m fine, I don’t need your help, if you haven’t noticed, I can clearly take care of myself out here.” 

Steve dropped his hand, a deep frown creasing his brows, “Son, I-”

“I’m not your son!” Peter yelled, balling his hands into fists. 

Before Steve could respond his phone rang and when he checked it, he knew he had to answer. “Hi, sweetheart.”   
  


“Where the hell are you? JARVIS said you left to go on a walk six hours ago? Are you jogging around North America?” 

Steve rolled his eyes, keeping an eye on Peter, who to his credit hadn’t budged. “No, I’m not. I am however a little busy right now, so I’ll call you back in a bit. I love you.” He explained, hanging up before Tony could respond. (Which would most certainly come back to bite him in the ass, but he could deal with that later.) 

“You’re right, you can clearly take care of yourself and you’re not my son.” He drew in a long breath before continuing, “But you don’t have to do it by yourself. You have a skill, and you’re clearly in this for the long-haul. We could make you a probationary member of the Avengers once you turn 18.”    
  


“How do you know I’m not 18?” Peter scoffed, putting his hands on his hips.    
  


“Oh for the love of, really?” Steve laughed, “C’mon, you’re what? 16? 17 at best? It doesn’t matter, you shouldn't be out here by yourself, especially if you’re crime-fighting by night. “At least let me put you up in a hotel for a while. It’s the least I could do given your help lately.” 

Peter shifted his weight indecisively. His shoulder was better but still not comfortable by any means, and he was sure his ribs were beaten to hell as well. An actual bed and warm shower sounded heavenly. “Fine, one night in a hotel. Under your name, and if you’re really so worried about my needs get me a new backpack with a few notebooks and pens.” 

Steve smirked triumphantly, “Deal.”

————

An hour later they were walking into a cheap hotel room, Peter tossing his backpack onto the floor and flopping down on the bed. “Shit, that’s good.” He groaned. 

Steve snickered and pulled a 20 from his wallet while Peter was basking in the bed, slipping it onto the bedside table. “Alright, I’ll leave you alone now. I wrote down my number by the door, call me if you need anything. I’ll get that backpack to you first thing tomorrow. You gotta come back here though, I’m not leaving it on that roof.” 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, I’ll be here.” Peter hummed, stretching out on the bed like a cat. Steve turned to leave, hand on the doorknob when he heard a quiet, “Thanks, Captain.” 


	7. I Found Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony finally finds what, or rather, who, he's been looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're still enjoying! They're closing in on our spider boi! There are some changes to Peter's origin story to make it more compliant with this AU, but the basics are still there!

“Sir requests your presence in the lab, Captain.” 

“Oooo, someone’s in trouble!” Clint teased, dodging a last punch from Steve before he left the gym. 

Steve grabbed a towel to wipe his face off as he made his way to the lab. Tony had been working non-stop on something for the last two weeks, but he wouldn't tell anyone what it was; JARVIS had been sworn to secrecy too, so he wasn’t any help. 

Tony spun around in his chair when the lab doors slid open, he looked like he hadn’t showered in days. His hair was sticking up in every direction and there was a caffeine graveyard on a desk, mugs stacked precariously on each other. 

Steve let out a low whistle and stepped into the lap, raising his eyebrows. Before he could say anything Tony smiled so wide that his eyes crinkled around the edges and waved a hand to the holograms to the left of him.   
  


“I found him!”

“Peter?! That’s great!” Steve congratulated, pulling Tony from his chair and into a tight hug. Tony melted into the touch, tucking his face into Steve’s chest. He’d been up for going on 72 hours, and frankly, if he never had to look at a public school yearbook again it would be too soon. But after months of looking, he’d finally found Peter. 

He allowed Steve to coax him from the lab and up to the kitchen, where he ate a sandwich and drank water before Steve would let him explain. Once they were settled on the couch, explain he did. 

“It was buried deep, now I understand why it was so hard to find. Remember when I said his parents died when he was a kid?” He drummed his fingers on his leg, waiting for Steve to nod before continuing. “Well, they were agents. Richard and Mary Parker, CIA. I managed to get to the files eventually. They were undercover, trying to infiltrate a spy ring. They got made, turns out Red Skull was behind the ring.”

“Wait, what?” Steve jolted. “What happened?”

“He had them taken out as soon as he figured it out. Made it look like a plane crash, framed them as double agents. CIA did them dirty and called it treason. It was a shit show, Peter was 5. I... don't know what he knows, obviously.” He waved his hand and a hologram appeared, showing a large file. He pinched his thumb and finger together and flicked them apart opening up a number of subfiles. He swiped through them quickly before selecting one and finally coming to rest on an image file. He selected the photo and waved a hand to project it. 

The close up showed a young Peter, maybe three years old, a tiny toothy grin lighting up his face. It was clearly Christmas, an eclectically decorated tree serving as the background. Mary was holding Peter in her lap and Richard was sitting next to her, arm around his shoulders. Mary was beaming into the camera whereas Richards's eyes were on Peter, softly smiling at his son. 

“My God…” Steve breathed, bowing his head. “Poor kid, can you imagine… You said he had family that he was with later, what happened to them?”

“May and Ben Parker, Ben was Richard's brother. They adopted Peter right away and he stayed with them, went to school, science fair, spelling bee, seems like he was pretty happy.” 

Steve covered his eyes with a hand, “Why do I feel like it’s not gonna stay that way?” 

“There was a break-in, they were both killed… Peter went into foster care, bounced house to house until he was selected for a scholarship, and transferred to…” Tony trailed off, shaking his head. “I can’t fucking believe him! He was fucking recruiting kids and just,  _ taking _ them there!” 

“I know.” Steve said softly, waiting a long few moments for Tony’s next words.

“After the raid, he should have gone into emergency placement but he disappeared. CPS has been looking for him, but he’s managed to stay off their radar. However, I’ve been keeping tabs on all the public schools in the area. Well, JARVIS has, but you get it. He entered the annual science fair and the school magazine mentioned it. He’s registered at the school as Benjamin Richards, great cover, I know.” 

Steve snickered, “Brilliant cover. So what now? We tell CPS?” 

“Hell no! They lost him once already.” Tony snapped, looking rather disgusted. “He’s smart, could have gotten into any school he wanted with the right scholarship, fucking Ty noticed that too.” He waved a hand to dismiss the photo of the Parker family, sighing and leaning his head back.    
  


“I’m crazy, right? This is a terrible idea. We can’t have a teenager here, we’re superheroes!”

Steve smiled softly, shrugging up one shoulder. “You’re certainly crazy. He’s 15 though, that's pretty self-reliant. We’re superheroes, what better home security is there?” He teased, shifting across the couch to gather Tony to his chest, setting his chin on the head of dark curls beneath him. 

“We’re making a lot of assumptions, sweetheart. We really don’t know him, he may have no interest in coming with us. And he could be settled somewhere already, he’s clearly goin’ to school, he’s gotta be stayin’ with someone.” 

Tony huffed indignantly but didn’t argue. “Fine. I’ll go to the school and just check up on him, he doesn’t have to know it's about him. Just… make sure he’s alright.” 

“Of course. I’ll come too, I’d rest easier knowing he’s safe. I gotta go, I promised Sam I’d come to motivate him on his run.” He winked, kissing Tony’s forehead. “I’ll be back soon and if I find you in the lab there’s gonna be hell to pay. You need a shower and sleep.” 

“But moooom I’m not tired.” Tony groaned.

__________

Steve knocked on the door to Peter’s room, the one he’d been staying in for the past week, backpack tucked under his arm. 

Peter opened the door dressed in the same red hoodie, this time with a pair of gym shorts sporting a faded school logo on the bottom. “Sup, Cap?” He greeted, adjusting his goggles and walking back to the bed where he had various bits and bobs laid out. 

“Hey, Spidey. Whatcha doin?” Steve asked, closing the door behind him before walking to the bed. 

“Project.” Peter waved a hand dismissively before going back to trying to superglue two pieces of wire to a metal sheet. 

Steve raised an eyebrow but decided to move past it, instead holding out the backpack. “What are you doin’ with these, eating ‘em?”

Peter looked up and took the backpack from Steve with a sheepish smile. “Uhh, thanks. Sorry, I lost it again.” 

“Mhm. Well, you have a good night son. Good luck with your project.” Steve chuckled, watching Peter tinker for another minute before heading out. 


	8. Steve is a Bad Liar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony calls Steve on his bullshit, and the boys have some fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its a tiiiiny bit o plot and then some smut whoops! Sorry it took so long, Im trash

Tony looked up from his tablet when the bedroom door opened, revealing a distracted Steve. Steve had made it halfway to the bathroom before Tony cleared his throat, laughing loudly when Steve jumped and whirled around, almost losing his balance. 

Steve regained his footings almost immediately, a slight blush rising on his cheeks. “I didn’t know you were awake.” 

“Clearly.” 

“I uhh…”

Tony set aside his tablet, “Am not putting  _ any _ effort into hiding the fact that I’m sneaking around doing secret Cap need-to-know-only stuff? That's what you were gonna say, right?” 

Steve had the decency to look a little ashamed at least, dropping his shoulders defeatedly. 

“Let’s break it down, you clearly haven’t just come back from a run. Nat asked where you were and when I told her, she told me Wilson was out with Barton, not you. JARVIS ratted you out, too. You’ve snuck out like 10 times!” Tony clearly wanted an explanation, but also seemed genuinely amused by Steve’s lack of planning. “Are you okay?”

Steve abandoned his plan for a shower, instead, getting changed into clean boxers and a t-shirt before sitting on the bed next to his boyfriend. “I’m fine. I’m sorry I’ve been sneakin’ around.” He sighed, clearly resigned. Then his face twisted into something panicked, “You don’t think- I’m not goin’ fishin’ or-” He started, his old accent slipping back in as it often did. 

Tony cut him off with a roll of his eyes, “No, I don’t think Steve Rogers, morality mentor to all, is cheating on me, calm down. I just want to know what’s going on.”

Steve relaxed with a sheepish grin, launching into his explanation. Over the next hour Tony learned about Steve’s mentorship of Spider-Man. How he’d followed him after the fight, how he was living on the streets, presumably no one watching out for him. As Steve carried on about the backpacks, endless backpacks Tony, and the school supplies Tony felt his heart swell (somewhere in the back of his mind he could hear Rhodey calling him the grinch) with love and pride. 

He asked the questions he had, and there were many. Turns out all the kid would request was school stuff. Steve was able to sneak in some food and clothes, along with convincing him to actually  _ stay _ in the hotel. 

“So you still don’t know who he is?” Tony asked, rolling onto his side to look at Steve more easily. 

“No, he always has his eyes covered, usually has his hair in his face. He’s a good kid though, that much is easy to see. He made me promise I wouldn’t tell anyone. I’m gonna try talking to him again about coming back here. Spider-Man is an asset we could use on the team, and if it gets him out of that hotel that's a bonus.” 

“Hell, maybe if I can talk Peter into it they can be friends,” Tony said jokingly. “Oh, by the way we’re going to the school in a few days. I’m hyping up the kiddies about science.” He waved his hands around with a smirk.   
  


Steve raised an eyebrow, “That was fast.” 

“There’s a reason Pepper makes so much money.” Tony hummed, smiling softly at Steve. “You’re not too bad, Steve Rogers.” 

Steve’s face spread into a boyish grin, scooting closer to Tony, “Oh yeah? You’re pretty swell yourself, doll.” 

“Damn right. Ya know, with our sudden pseudo-parenting gigs we haven’t had much time for ourselves.” Tony sighed, grabbing Steve’s shoulders and pulling him. Steve followed happily, settling on top of Tony, one leg between his. Tony slid his hands to Steve’s biceps, which were flexed due to himself on his forearms, squeezing them appreciatively as he spoke. 

“You’re right ya know, I do need to sleep. Trouble is I’m still very awake, and given that you didn’t go for a run with Wilson I’d guess you’ve got some pent up energy.” He hummed softly when Steve ducked his head to kiss below his ear.

“So, I’m thinking you utilize all that super stamina and fuck me into the mattress until I can’t help but sleep.”

Steve chuckled against Tony’s skin, darting his tongue out to flick his earlobe. “You always have the best plans.” He pressed his thigh down, grinding against Tony. 

Tony moved a hand up to Steve’s hair, drawing him into a kiss. Steve parted his lips willingly, drawing Tony’s tongue into his mouth with a soft moan. Tony rolled his hips against Steve’s thigh as he sucked his bottom lip, moving his hands under Steve’s shirt. 

Steve broke away from the kiss and sat back on his knees, pulling his shirt off over his head in a smooth motion and tossing it aside. He slid off Tony’s tank top in the same manner, skimming his fingers from the edge of the arc reactor to a nipple. “What do you want, sweetheart?” 

Tony arched his back slightly, moving his hands to the waistband of Steve’s boxers, tugging at them. “Fuck me, hard. Wear me out, soldier.” 

Steve moved down the best, kicking off his boxers as he went. He gripped the bottom of Tony’s pajama pants and yanked them down, adding them to the growing pile of clothes. “I can do that.” He breathed, grabbing Tony’s hips and sliding him down the bed several inches. He hooked his elbows under Tony’s knees, pressing them up towards his chest, “God you’re gorgeous.” 

There was a time where this was likely to involve a lot more conversation, Steve hadn’t been keen on the idea of accidentally hurting Tony. But after some trial and error (there had only been one incident of Steve’s strength actually getting the best of him, and it was mostly the bed that suffered) they’d found that they both enjoyed the power dynamic. 

Steve kissed his way down Tony’s chest to his cock, licking a slow stripe up the shaft before continuing down. He grabbed Tony’s hands and placed them behind his knees so that he was holding his own legs back. “Be a doll and hold these for me, would ya?” He winked, ducking his head down to Tony’s hole. He let himself look for a minute, always stuck by the vulnerability Tony showed when they did this before he got to work. He licked and kissed diligently, pressing his tongue deep inside Tony with a satisfied hum. 

Tony moaned and dropped his hands to Steve’s hair, tugging gently. “Fuck, I missed you.” He reached over to the bedside table, fishing out the lube before pressing Steve’s head away gently. When Steve looked up, lips red and shiny, Tony answered his unspoken question by shoving the lube into his hand, “I don’t wanna wait, fuck me already.” 

Steve flipped Tony over, squeezing his ass firmly before slapping one cheek, then the other. Tony gasped at the sudden sting, pushing up onto his knees when he heard the click of the lube. A moment later there were two fingers pressing into him, quickly joined by a third. Tony was rocking back against Steve’s hand and whimpering into the sheets when Steve curled his fingers purposefully. Tony squeezed around Steve’s fingers with a loud curse, followed by a whine when he found himself empty a moment later. 

Steve watched Tony squirm for a second before lining up and thrusting into him hard. “God damn darlin’, how are you still this tight?” He groaned, pressing his hips flush to Tony’s ass. 

Tony dropped his forehead to the sheets with a long sigh, shifting his ass back on Steve’s cock. Steve chuckled, gripping Tony’s hips tightly. “I thought you wanted  _ me _ to fuck  _ you _ .” He chastised, snapping his hips back and then forward again, hiking Tony’s ass higher as he set up a fast pace. 

Tony was soon reduced to a whining mess beneath Steve, letting himself relax into the feeling of Steve’s hands, and cock, and sounds, fuck. He lost track of time and was aware of Steve coming once (twice?) already when he started to feel the strain on his back and thigh.

Steve seemed to know, changing his angle suddenly and rolling his hips slowly. 

“Oh fuuuck.” Tony groaned, moving his arm under himself to wrap his hand around his cock. “Right there, fuck that feels good.” 

Steve gave Tony’s ass a parting squeeze before dropping down to press his chest to Tony’s back, continuing to grind his hips forward at the same angle. “Yeah, sweetheart? Right there?” He asked, punctuating the second question with a sharp thrust. Tony worked his hand over his cock more quickly, motions blurring slightly before he came with a loud sob. 

Steve kissed Tony’s temple and down the side of his face before pulling out slowly. Tony huffed when Steve flopped onto the bed next to him with a dopey smile. “I should have never encouraged that dirty mind of yours, you look far too pleased with yourself.” He yawned, eyes droopy, throwing an arm out over Steve’s chest and nuzzling under his arm.    
  


“I wouldn’t look so pleased if ya didn’t look so happy.” Steve teased, leaning down to kiss Tony gently. “I love you.” Tony hummed contentedly, his eyes already closed again, “Love you too.”


	9. Let's Discuss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter makes a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I should have more time to write in the next few days.

It had been an eventful day if nothing else. Peter was hiding in a bathroom stall, trying desperately to figure out how the hell he’d gotten here. 

He’d gone to school, per usual, Showered and with basic supplies, courtesy of Captian fuckin America, no  _ Steve _ . The day was normal until the afternoon when halfway through his AP Science class Tony Stark strolled in. Peters's eyes went wide before he quickly ducked his face back down to look intently at his notes. He ignored the teachers introduction (something about a grant to the department and wanting to visit the youth) in favor of figuring out an escape route. Tony had only seen his face before the raid, but they didn’t call him a genius for nothing.    
  


Everyone was chattering and generally distracted, so he decided to just… leave. He quickly gathered his stuff and headed for the door, only to have it swing open into his face. Steve stepped back reflexively, “Oh, pardon me! Didn’t see ya there.” He smiled, brow drawing together slightly when he was met with a messy head of dark blue hair, still shoving things into a backpack. “No worries!” Peter chirped, sliding past Steve before taking off down the hallway. 

Steve watched him go, tapping his foot on the floor anxiously. He walked into the classroom and caught Tony’s attention, “We gotta go. Avengers business.” He said seriously, apologizing to the kids before nearly dragging Tony for the room. 

Tony had barely opened his mouth when Steve backed him up against the lockers, glancing around before muttering, “I just saw Spider-Man.” At Tony’s dubious face he explained, “Same hair, same damn backpack I gave him three days ago!” 

Tony shifted his weight from one foot to another before groaning, “Ugh, fine, we can find your stray first. I can catch Peter next period.” He agreed, following Steve down the hallway.

They came to the bathrooms and locker room entrance when they saw a girl leaning back on the lockers, observing them with an unimpressed demeanor. Tony squinted slightly, “Where’d he go?” 

“Why are Captain America and Iron Man at a public school? I thought you only went to the fancy ones.” 

Tony rolled his eyes, “Why do you want to know? Just tell us where the kid went.”

MJ raised an eyebrow, unfazed. “Why would I help your war-mongering ass find some high schooler, whose name you apparently don’t even know?”

Steve put a hand on Tony’s shoulder, looking over to the teenager. “We believe he could be in danger, Miss. we just want to check on him.” The bell rang, causing Michelle to roll her eyes. 

“Fine, whatever, I have to get to class. He’s in the bathroom.” She pushed off the lockers and started down the hallway, looking over her shoulder, “But ya know, maybe don't follow kids into bathrooms, could look bad.” 

Tony couldn’t help but snicker slightly, heading for the bathroom door. “God, kids are the worst.” He muttered, pushing open the door and entering the bathroom, Steve close behind him. 

The stalls were all open, except for one. “You should do a better job of hiding, son.” Steve sighed, tapping on the closed door. “Cmon out.”

“Fuck you.”

“See, kids are the worst.” Tony huffed. “Just come out, you really think Cap won’t break down a stall door? You’ve seen him fight.” 

Steve shot Tony an exasperated look before turning back to the stall. “Ignore him. I’m sorry, I know you weren’t expecting this.” 

“No shit, Sherlock. Why the fuck are you even here?! You promised you wouldn’t follow me, or-or tell anyone!” Peter shot back, panic starting to deep into his voice. 

“I didn’t follow you, and I didn’t tell Tony. He’s here looking for a kid we worked with a while back.” Steve explained, waiting for Peter's reaction. 

“Huh.”

Steve glanced back at Tony and weighed his options for a second. He wasn’t certain, but he’d been putting together the pieces for a while. It was the eyes. Something about the glimpses he got from under dark hair hit him the same way the photo of the Parkers has. 

“Peter.” He said softly, feeling Tony tense behind him, realization beginning to dawn. “We’ve been looking for you since the raid. Why didn’t you tell me it was you?” Steve asked softly. 

“You can’t turn me in.” Came the response from the stall a moment later. Tony immediately replied, “You’re never going back there, kid. But you can’t keep doing this. You’re coming with us.” 

The door flew open, revealing Peter crouched on the toilet lid. He was wearing a solid black T-shirt and ill-fitting jeans, his pierced lip turned up in a scowl. “You can’t just, like, kidnap me, dude!”

Steve looked relieved to have the door opened whereas Tony still looked agitated “You gonna stop me? Who are you gonna tell, a social worker?”

Peter clenched his jaw, shooting daggers at Tony. “Fuck you.”

Which is how he’d ended up in the living room of Steve and Tony’s floor, standing with his back to the wall and his arms crossed. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. He’d agreed to go with them, after a lot of convincing, if only because he couldn’t think of another option. He could always sneak out later, sure the tower was secure, but he was Spider-Man. 

Tony flopped on the couch, pulling at his tie to loosen it. “So, we should probably all talk, right? I think that’s what we’re supposed to do from here. I’m hungry. Pizza? Burgers? What do teenagers eat?”

Steve forced back a fond smile, sitting on the couch next to Tony, leaving Peter seating options that allowed for some distance between them. The boy eyed them, shrugging up one shoulder. “I’m not hungry.” 

Tony groaned dramatically, “For fucks- kid, you’re 15 and if the way this guy packs away food” he jerked a thumb towards Steve, “is any indication, your super-spider-self probably eats enough to feed an army.” 

Peter rolled his eyes, finally moving to sit on an armchair, the furthest one from the sofa. “Pizza, then.” 

“You heard the kid, J. Six pizzas from the usual place, ASAP.” 

“Of course, Sir.” Came JARVIS’s reply, making Peter jump and glance up at the ceiling. 

“Was that an AI?” He asked, raising an eyebrow with a hint for a smile. 

Tony smirked, “Why don't you find out?”

Peter hummed quietly, looking up at the ceiling again, taking note of all the cameras. “Hello?”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Parker. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

Peters smile grew bit by bit as he and JARVIS exchanged pleasantries. Just as Peter started to ask JARVIS about his programming Tony jumped in. “Alright, alright, enough chit chat. You talk to us, you can talk to J all about his incredible coding later.”

Peter sighed, leaning back in the armchair, seemingly more at ease. “You’re super pushy, my guy. I don’t have to talk to you, ya know.”

Steve snickered, “Yeah, he does that. It’s kinda cute once you get used to it.” He grinned, heart swelling at the slight chuckle it garnered from Peter. “You don’t have to talk to us, and I know you might not think it’s fair but we can’t let you keep doing this. It’s not safe. You’ve been through a lot.” 

Peter stiffened in his seat but it didn’t deter Steve, who continued on. “But you’re still a minor and we’re adults, it’d be irresponsible not to do something.” He finished, brow furrowed and eyes downcast. 

Tony glanced at Steve and then back to Peter. “You clearly don’t want to go back into the foster system, and we won’t send you back there.” He promised, noticing Peter relax a fraction. “You have to live somewhere, and I can pay for that shitty hotel forever but we have a nice cushy tower right here. Plus, you’re enhanced and clearly not gonna be talked out of fighting. So you’ll stay here, go to school, not worry about all this shit you shouldn’t have to. We’ll get you set up with some protective gear because frankly, I don’t know what that pajama ensemble you’ve been wearing is but you’re gonna get yourself killed.” 

Peter considered everything as Tony spoke, picking at a loose thread on his jeans. “I don’t… You can’t just treat me like some kid if I stay here.” 

“Of course not. You’re accustomed to your freedoms, I get that. You can still fight crime, go out whenever you want, see whoever you wanna see; as long as you don’t bullshit us.” Tony agreed, walking to the elevator doors just as they opened, revealing a stack of pizzas. He grabbed them from the elevator floor and set them on the coffee table, handing both Steve and Peter a box before sitting down with his own. 

Peter opened the box and picked up a slice, eating half of it in a huge bite. “Deal.” 


	10. The Suit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter gets to explore the tower and settle in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I even do chapter summaries? I suck at them lmao. Anyway, thank you for the support! Also hit me with comments of things you wanna see the fam talk about/do/handle!

The rest of the day had been a blur. There had been a tour of the tower, introductions to the team, and getting settled in his room on Tony and Steve’s floor. Plus he still had an essay to write before tomorrow morning. 

Tony had been generous, startlingly generous, but it was a little overwhelming. He’d gotten sympathetic smiles from Steve and mumbled jokes only audible to those with enhanced hearing. It had been… okay. It was fine, so far. Nonetheless, it was now 3 am, his essay was long finished, and he was in quite possibly the most comfortable bed in the world; and yet he was wide awake. 

“JARVIS?” Peter asked softly, smiling when the AI responded immediately. 

“Yes, Mr. Parker?” 

“Can you give me some info without Tony finding out?”

“Yes, depending on the information you’re looking for.” 

“Cool. Uh, can you call me Peter? Mr. Parker is weird.” Peter added, considering his most pressing questions. “How long was Tony looking for me?” 

“He began searching immediately upon discovering you were not in protective care.” 

He raised his eyebrows, letting the information sink in. He let the silence hang, trying to relax. He quickly gave up, sitting up in bed. “JARVIS, am I restricted to this floor?” 

“No, Peter. Sir has granted you additional access to the common floors, gym, med bay, lab, and garage.”

Peter was halfway into his new slippers when he whipped his head up, “Did you just say the fucking lab?!” He exclaimed, cringing slightly at his volume after the excitement had passed. 

“I did.”

Which was how Peter found himself taking the elevator to the lab, a feeling of unease eating at him. He ignored it and reminded himself of everything they’d been telling him all day. They wanted him here, he could do what he wanted, what was theirs was him, blah blah blah. He stepped out into the hallway when the elevator opened, tilting his head at the muffled sounds of rock music.    
  


He finally walked into the lab, finding Tony bent over his workbench, soldering away.    
  


“I was wondering when you were gonna come in. You’ve been out there for five minutes.” Tony chuckled, not looking up from his work. 

Peter sputtered, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to be down here.” He mumbled, taking a few more tentative steps into the lab. 

“First mistake. I practically live down here and the hours I keep aren’t for the faint of heart.” He looked around the table in front of him before his eyes landed on a table closer to Peter. “Bring me that wire stripper, would ya?”

Peter searched the table for a second before grabbing the tool and making his way over to Tony. He held it out, clearing his throat when Tony didn’t reach out to take it. Tony’s eyes flickered up from his work, hesitating a second on the tool before nodding and taking it in his own hand. “I don’t like to be handed things. It’ll take some time to get used to another person.” He explained after a moment of awkward silence.

“Weird.” Peter took a seat across from Tony, pulling over a rolling stool for himself. 

Tony huffed, “Rude.” 

Peter smirked a little, propping his chin in his hand as he watched Tony work. They sat in amiable silence, Tony occasionally asking Peter to get him something. (Peter sat each item on the table and slid it to Tony instead of trying to hand it to him.) 

“Sooo, what are you doing?” Peter finally asked, continuing before Tony could answer. “I mean, it’s clearly an internal monitoring system, but what does it go to?” 

“Cleary, huh?” Tony gave Peter a crooked grin, setting aside his soldering iron and goggles. “It links up to home alarms. You know, the dime-a-dozen companies? Well, they’re charging through the nose and the system isn’t even reliable. Plus most of their customers are in low-income areas, and they want home security badly enough to overpay for it.” He cleared his throat, sliding the circuit board across the table to Peter. “So, SI is making a better, cheaper one.”

Peter lifted the board carefully, looking at it with intense focus. “Wait, did you embed microprocessors to-”

“To link back to personal phones as well as emergency responders? Yup. For some reason, most services only use one.” Tony nodded.

“Huh. That’s pretty cool.” Peter smiled, sliding the board back over to Tony. 

Tony left it on the table, crossing his arms over his chest. “So, I think this is that part where I ask why you’re still awake at this hour, but that feels like a waste of time.” He stood up abruptly, clapping his hands together. “Let’s talk suits. JARVIS, pull up the Spider-Boy suit models.”

“Spider-Boy?!” Peter squealed, clearly offended. “Not cool, dude! It’s Spider- _ Man _ ! I’ll grow into it.”

Tony smiled softly, “Yeah, you will.” He agreed, waving a hand to invite Peter closer to the holograms that now surrounded him. “Come look.” 

Peter couldn’t contain a huff of excitement when he passed straight through a hologram, standing next to Tony. Tony pushed his hands into the pockets of the soft flannel pajama pants he was wearing, nodding his head towards the floating blue that surrounded them. “It’s a pretty intuitive interface if I do say so myself. Welcome to the playground.” He chuckled.

Peter grinned widely, looking at the dozen different floating suit designs before selecting one. He raised a hand, but hesitated, shooting Tony a glance. Tony nodded again, “Go on.” 

Peter flicked a finger forward to select a suit, then tried double-tapping to open the information files attached to it. When that didn’t work he tried his other hand. When that failed he pinched two fingers together before opening them, puffing out his chest when the files opened up. 

“Tony cleared his throat, moving to lean on a workbench, crossing his arms over his chest again. “You can play with the designs and stuff, I just threw together some based on what you’ve been wearing. If you’re gonna keep doing this you’re going out in something that’s actually safe. It has everything you need, stealth abilities, parachute, heater, you name it. Just tell me which design you wanna start with and I’ll have it in production by tomorrow morning.”

Peter looked at all the models thoroughly, finally settling on the red and blue suit with a spider over the chest and full head coverings. “This one. I-...This one.” He said quietly after some time had passed. 

“You heard the man, J. Model 4, asap.” Tony confirmed. 

“Right away, Sir.”    
  


The holograms disappeared as quickly as they’d appeared, leaving Peter standing in the middle of the room. He fiddled with his piercing awkwardly, eyes finally settling on Tony. “Thank you.” 

“Don’t mention it, kid. Now, Steve would kill me if he found out I was endorsing this behavior, so go back up to your room and try to sleep, yeah? Otherwise, we’ll both be in hot water with Cap.” 


	11. Suit Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly filler, next chapter will have some action!

Steve was still awake when Tony crawled into bed after checking with JARVIS to make sure Peter was asleep. “You’re still up?” 

Steve nodded, rolling over to lay on Tony’s chest. “Couldn’t sleep. I don’t know what we’re doing.” Tony sighed, carding his fingers through Steve’s hair. “What we think is right, I guess. He’s not a little kid or anything, how bad can it go?”

“I just wanna give him some stability, ya know? He hasn’t had it in so long.” Steve frowned, tucking further into Tony’s side. 

“We can do that. Who’s more stable than Earth's Mightiest Heroes?” 

\-----

Peter walked out of the elevator, eyes not lifting from his phone. He hadn’t had a working one in what felt like forever and he was making up for lost time. 

Steve, Sam, and Natasha were all in the kitchen of the communal floor, chattering away. Steve grinned when he saw Peter, “Hey!” He cringed a little when he startled the kid, waving him over anyway. “You hungry? We were just about to make some sandwiches.” 

Peter slipped his phone into his pocket and nodded, eyeing the other two warily as he joined them at the table. “Yeah, sure, thanks.” 

Steve started to gather ingredients from the fridge, getting to work assembling the sandwiches. Sam turned to Peter, “Sooo, are you actually part spider?” 

Peter snickered, relaxing into the chair. “I dunno, are you part bird?”

Sam squinted, “Alright, I see how it is man.” 

Lunch passed with comfortable small talk, Sam and Steve eventually announcing they were going on a run. When Peter turned to head to the elevator Natasha stopped him. “Can I talk with you for a second, Peter?”

Peter turned back towards her, worrying his piercing between his teeth. “Uh, yeah, sure ma'am.” 

Natasha smirked and took a seat on the couch, “Ma’am? You’ve been spending too much time with Steve.” She waited for Peter to take a seat before continuing. “I’m happy to have you here, so is the rest of the team. You’re a powerful asset and you also just seem like a nice kid.” She said with a soft smile. 

Peter opened his mouth to speak but was cut off. 

“I trust Steve and Tony. If I didn’t you wouldn’t be here. That being said, if anyone, them or anyone else in this place,  _ ever _ make you uncomfortable you tell me. I will handle it, understood?”

Peter figures in his seat and nodded, “Okay… thank you.” 

Natasha nodded, “Good. Well, if you need anything you know where to find me.” She stood up and moved towards the elevator, turning back when She heard him. 

“Wait! Can you… can you maybe answer some questions for me?”

" Natasha tilted her head, considering Peter before motioning for him to join her, “Let’s go to my floor.”

\-----

Steve was cleaning; dusting, vacuuming, hand washing the dishes. It calmed him, and it was better than wearing down the floor with his pacing. He’d returned from his run with Sam to find the floor empty, as well as the common floors. Which was fine. Peter had free reign of the place and as much right to leave as anyone else. Plus they’d promised him privacy, and as far as Steve was concerned that meant not asking JARVIS (other than to ensure that  _ Yes, Captain Peter is in the tower and perfectly well.)  _ None of that helped dispel the pent up anxiety he was feeling. He knew they were doing the right thing but he was in uncharted territory, not a comfortable feeling. He didn’t want to move too fast, it wouldn’t benefit any of them. Yet, he was already immensely protective of him, so was Tony, and while his boyfriend might not admit it for some time, he loved Peter. 

He was contemplating breaking out a rag and the floor polish when the elevator doors opened, revealing Peter, safe and sound. Steve let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding in, chest deflating slightly as a dopey smile flashed on his face. 

Peter stepped out of the elevator, eyebrows raised high as he took in the scene around Steve. There was a pile of dirty rags, a bowl of soapy water, a mop and bucket, broom, and in the middle of it all, Steve, wearing an old pair of jeans and a stained Army t-shirt. He had a rag in one hand and a streak of wood cleaner on his forehead. 

“You good dude?” 

Steve tossed the rag into the pile and nodded, willing himself not to blush. “Oh! Uh, yeah, I’m just dandy. Uh, how was school?”

Peter chuckled softly, slipping off his shoes so he wouldn’t track up the floor and shrugging off his backpack to set on the couch. “It was fine, I nailed my chemistry test, have to do extra credit for French.” He shrugged, “Win some, lose some, right? Do you want some help with… whatever it is you’re doing?” 

“I was just about finished up, if I do any more I’ll have to hear Tony’s rant about how we pay people to do this so that we don't have to again.” Steve laughed, reaching out to pick up the broom and dustpan. “I wouldn’t say no to some help cleaning up the mess I made  _ while _ I was cleaning, though.” 

“You got it.” Peter smiled, scooping up the pile of rags and following Steve.

\-----

After dinner (sushi that Tony brought home) Peter worked on homework for a while before he gave up. He’d ask to copy Ned’s work, it was only French after all, and he was feeling claustrophobic. He packed his old suit into his backpack and slipped out of his bedroom, headed for the elevator. 

Tony was shuffling back to the lab, a bag of chips tucked under his arm when he saw Peter headed for the elevator. “Where ya goin’?” 

Peter squeaked and lost his footing, throwing out a hand to grip onto the wall. He huffed and peeled his hand off the wall, “Uh, just out.”

“Well, that doesn’t inspire much confidence.”

“I was just gonna go, ya know.” 

“Really don’t though, Pete.” 

Peter rolled his eyes, “I was going patrolling. Crime-fighting. Spider-stuff. Doing-the-cops-job-for-them. Take your pick.” 

Tony snorted out a laugh, shaking his head. “No way in hell, not tonight.”

“But I-”

“ _ Because _ , your new suit is ready for the first trial and if I let you leave and you break an arm or something Steve would kill me- and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m kind of important to the world so I can’t die by way of an angry boyfriend.” Tony stepped into the elevator, nodding for Peter to follow him. “Take us to the playground, J.” 

\-----

Steve found Peter and Tony in the lab around midnight, chatting animatedly and working on Peter’s suit. He made himself comfortable in his chair on the far side of the lab, not being noticed, and started to sketch the scene in front of him. 


	12. In My Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I should be updating more regularly from now on!

_ Cold hands. Too much noise. Too many men.  _

_ His mother's smile. His father’s laugh.  _

_ May’s cookies. Ben’s cologne.  _

Peter shot out of his bed, stumbling over his feet as he ran to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. He slid to the floor and hid his face, trying to push the dreams from his mind. When his breathing had evened back out he stood on shaking legs and splashed some water on his face. 

He left the bathroom and went to his closet, pulling on his new suit. It was beautiful, and even more functional. He and Tony had made some adjustments and he’d worn it out patrolling a handful of times in the last few weeks; it had proven to be well worth the wait. He went down to the common floor and out onto the balcony, swinging away from the tower without hesitation. 

Tony was reading in bed, Steve out cold next to him, when he heard a muffled door slam. He’d been contemplating going down to the lab since it seemed he wasn’t going to be able to sleep anyway, now seemed as good a time as any to give up. He slipped out of bed and pulled on a sweatshirt before heading down to the lab. 

Peter’s door was closed and nothing seemed to be amiss, so he decided to ignore the sound. They’d promised Peter privacy and while he wasn’t historically wonderful at personal boundaries, he was trying. 

He was expecting Peter to join him in the lab, more than anything. It had become a somewhat standard event, Peter wandering down to the lab to watch Tony work, or tinker away at his own project, or work on the suit. 

And yet, it had been almost two hours though and there was no sign of Peter. “Hey, JARVIS, shoot the kid a text and ask if he’s alright.” If Peter was asleep, the text shouldn’t bother him. 

“I’ve delivered the message, Sir. Although, it should be noted that Peter appears not to have his cell phone on his person.” 

“Wait, is he in the tower?”

“No, Sir.”

Tony frowned, thumping his hand against the workbench as he deliberated. There had only been a few rules put in place, but one of them was to keep his phone on him at all times. And while Peter was welcome to go patrol at night, he usually did so a little earlier than 3 am.

“Shit.” He muttered under his breath, heading for the elevator. “Shut everything down in here and get me the location on Peter’s suit.”

“Right away, Sir.”

\-----

Peter was sitting on the roof of a small deli in Queens, mask off and face red when he heard the whir of repulsors behind him. He scrubbed a hand over his face to ensure it was free of tears before he looked over his shoulder at Tony. “You said you wouldn’t follow me.”

He was standing outside of his suit in a pair of sweats and a SI sweatshirt, eyes soft. “You’ve been out of the tower for almost three hours, kid, I think it’s pretty clear that I didn’t follow you.” Tony chuckled, closing the distance between them and holding out Peter’s phone. “Here, I’m assuming you forgot this. Or you left it on purpose, but I kind of doubt that.” 

Peter’s shoulders dropped slightly, shooting Tony an apologetic smile. “Oh, sorry Tony.” He took his phone and slipped it into the hidden pocket of his suit.

“Don’t sweat it, kid.” Tony shifted his weight from foot to foot before giving in and taking a seat next to Peter. “Any particular reason you’re out here? Doesn’t look like a particularly crime-ridden area.” There was a long enough silence that Tony didn’t think Peter was going to answer at all before he spoke. 

“Shitty dreams. I needed to get out of my head for a while.” Peter shrugged, looking back towards the large building a block or two in front of them. “Plus, I did give a drunk tourist directions back to his Airbnb, so not a total waste.” 

“You’re the jewel of the city, kid.” Tony laughed, following his gaze towards the horizon. “Why here?”

“I came here all the time when I was little, the Hall of Science and then Queens Zoo.” Peter pointed to the first building, then to the row of trees lining the zoo’s perimeter. “I was just wandering and I wound up here. Muscle memory, I guess.” 

“Makes sense.” Tony hummed, falling into a comfortable silence. They sat for a long while, Peter’s eyes growing heavier and heavier as time passed. Tony kept his eyes ahead when he asked, “Do you want to talk about your dreams?” 

“No.” 

“Do you want to go back to the tower? It’s cold.”

“Sure.”

Tony stood up with a groan, “Jesus kid, how do you sit like that? I hate getting old.” He held out a hand for Peter and pulled him to his feet. “You swinging back or do you want to hitch a ride?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows as he stepped back into the suit. 

Peter pulled his mask back on with a grin and launched himself onto Tony’s back, wrapping his legs around his waist and his arms around his neck. Tony’s yelp was muffled by the suit, as was his eye roll, “Warn a guy, Jesus.” He grumbled, taking off back towards the tower. 


	13. In My Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve has a rough night and Peter comes to the rescue.

“Dude, you can’t just ask her. You need to make it like, a big deal. It’s Betty, she’s extra.” Peter sighed into his phone, reaching up for a bag of chips in the pantry. He huffed in frustration, tapping his wrist to shoot a web up to the chips, pulling it down to him. 

He sandwiched his phone between his shoulder and cheek so that he could open the bag. “I don’t think Betty would be into it, but do you buddy- Hey! Not cool! I could totally go if I wanted, but why would I? I don't wanna get all dressed up and go to a dumb dance when there’s not even-“

Steve was leaning against the doorway of the kitchen, listening to Peter with an amused smile. It had been a few months since Peter moved in, and things were going well. Really well. Peter was warming up more and more by the day, the dynamic in the tower had shifted to accommodate him, and Spider-Man was fitting in well with the Avengers. 

“Wh- She's not going, no way. That’s so not her scene.” Peter stammered, suddenly much more attentive to Ned's words. “When did that happen?! Last week at decathlon practice she said it was overrated and reinforced a sexist narrative!” His face twisted into a scowl a moment later as he scoffed. “Oh fuck off, like you don’t remember every word Betty says.” 

Steve let out a quiet laugh despite himself, having the decency to look a little ashamed when Peter's eyes darted over to him. “I gotta go do homework anyway, dude. I’ll see you tomorrow, text me if you work up the courage to talk to Betty.” 

Peter slipped his phone into his pocket, quickly pushing chips into his mouth with a light blush. Steve just grinned wider, striding over to Peter to steal a handful of chips from the bag. “So, who’s the girl?” He asked, leaning with his elbows on the kitchen island. 

Peter groaned loudly, setting the bag on the island between them. “Can we pretend you didn’t hear that? It’s nothing.” 

“Doesn’t seem like nothin’, seems like you’ve got it bad for this dame.” He popped another chip into his mouth casually. 

Peter snickered and rolled his eyes, “Oh my god, a dame? Really, Steve?”

“Oh well excuse me for not being born in this century.” Steve shot back playfully. “C’mon, you gotta give me something! What’s she like?” 

A smile crept across Peter’s face as his gaze dropped to the floor. “She’s really smart and nice. Well, not nice exactly, but kind. And she’s really funny and tough, like she doesn’t take anyone’s shit, ya know?”

A sad smile replaced Steves inquisitive look as he thought of Peggy Carter’s sharp humor and unyielding morals. “Yeah, I know.” He cleared his throat, pressing down the lump that has risen before he continued. “Soooo, there’s a dance?”

Peter shrugged, reaching for more chips. “I guess. I didn’t think she was gonna go, but now it sounds like she is.” He sighed, “And like, she doesn’t even know I like her. We’re just friends.” 

“Well, if you want an old man's opinion, the best partners are always friends first.” Steve hummed, closing the bag of chips and returning it to the pantry, despite Peters protest. “We’re having dinner in a few hours, you’re gonna spoil your appetite.” 

Peter rolled his eyes and pushed off the counter, “Don’t say anything to Tony about it, okay? I don’t even know if I’m going, and if he finds out he’ll just overreact and like, buy a limo, or the whole school or something.” 

Steve held his hands up in surrender, “My lips are sealed, son. Now, don’t you have homework to go do?”

“I’m going, I’m going!” Peter called as he headed down the hallway to his room. 

\----------

Steve sighed as he stepped into the gym showers, leaning back against the cool tile. His conversation with Peter earlier had stirred up memories, good and bad, and destroying a punching bag had only distracted him so long. He loved his life. Tony, the team, and now Peter, were more than he could have imagined when he came out of the ice. Still, some days he just… ached. 

He thought of Bucky’s barking laughter, Peggy’s red dress, his mother's soft smile. They were gone. All of them. The world he knew was too. The future (the present, he internally corrected) had its perks, that was undeniable, but there were things he missed. Life was undeniably easier now, but was it better?    
  


The thoughts were still swirling in his head when he laid down to sleep that night. Bruce had called Tony in for help with something earlier that evening, which meant Steve was sleeping alone. He tossed and turned restlessly, eventually falling asleep only to wake up a few hours later. 

He was soaked in sweat, his heart was racing, and every time he closed his eyes he saw Bucky falling from the train. He pushed himself out of bed and stumbled out onto the balcony off the living room, hands gripping the railing tightly. He was vaguely aware of the tears streaming down his face and the wind on his bare chest, but he could barely feel it. 

Peter woke up to the sound of thundering footsteps, his heart rate immediately spiking as his spidey sense shocked him out of his sleepy state. He chewed on his lip (now free of his piercing, which he’d taken out the day before with no explanation) for a minute before giving in and following the sound. 

He saw Steve and Tony’s bedroom door wide open and poked his head in, frowning when he saw the room was predictably empty. There hadn’t been an alarm, and he didn’t know about any super-secret missions that were currently on the docket. He slipped down the hallway and into the living room, cringing slightly at the cold air coming from the door to the balcony. 

Steve had slid down to sit on the floor of the balcony, looking up at the sky with his arms wrapped loosely around his knees. Peter pushed open the slightly ajar door, closing it behind him as he stepped onto the balcony. “Steve?” He asked softly, cringing when Steve sniffled sharply and wiped a hand over his face. 

“Peter? What are you doing up?” Steve asked, standing quickly and brushing off the back of his sweats. 

“I was just up.” Peter lied easily, “I thought I heard you get up and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Steve pushed his hands into his pockets as if suddenly realizing the temperature outside. “Oh. That’s- I’m fine, son. You should go back to bed.” 

Peter squinted at him and shook his head. “No, you’re not. You’re out here crying and you’re not even wearing a shirt. You should come inside, it’s really cold.” 

Steve acquiesced, if only to get Peter back inside too, and followed him to the couch. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t be seeing me like this.” He said, dropping his head to his hands. 

Peter grabbed a blanket that was draped over a chair and held it out to Steve, shaking it until he finally took it. “Listen, Captain Repressed, that’s not how it works anymore. You’re allowed to have feelings.” 

“When did you join Tony on the Captain jokes?” Steve grumbled, bowing his head after he’d wrapped the blanket around his shoulders. “I’m okay, Peter, really. You should go to sleep.” 

“Tomorrow's Saturday, I’m not doing anything in the morning. You don’t have to talk to me about it, I guess. But you shouldn’t be out here alone.” Peter shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. “And I don’t know where Tony is, but you’re not usually like this, so something must be wrong.” 

Steve shook his head and relaxed against the couch, “You’re too smart for your own good, son.” They sat in silence for a few minutes before Steve continued, voice a little thicker then it had been. 

“I was just thinking about some old friends. They’re gone and I miss them.... Sometimes I get really stuck on it. I can’t stop seeing them, thinking about them, just….” He trailed off, dropping his head again. 

Peter knew the feeling all too well. “Do you want to tell me about them?” He asked quietly, looking at Steve with a soft smile. “You don’t have to but I’m a good listener.” 

Steve looked over at him with glassy eyes, “Really?”

Peter nodded immediately, “Yeah, of course. I dunno, sometimes it helps to talk about them.” 

“I’d...I’d like that.” 

\---------

Tony stepped out of the elevator at 4 am, intent on stumbling into the bedroom to sleep for a week. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Steve and Peter on the couch, fast asleep. Steve had a blanket wrapped around him and Peter had curled into his side slightly, head on his shoulder and mouth open slightly. 

Tony felt his heart swell at the sight, contemplating waking them up before deciding against it and settling on the loveseat to sleep. His bed was overrated anyway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with this if you're still reading! I'd love feedback!


	14. The Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is a spooked bby

Peter shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he looked himself over in the mirror again. He was wearing a decently fitted grey suit, with a white shirt and blue tie. Steve had informed Peter they were going to be getting him a new suit when he saw what the boy had been planning to wear. (Nice black jeans, and his white button-down, maybe a borrowed tie?) Peter had agreed on the condition that Tony not know, he didn’t want some fancy hand made suit, and with Tony, that’s what he’d almost certainly get. Steve had taken him to a Men's Warehouse after swearing Peter to secrecy. (Tony would leave him if he found out Steve had entered the place.)

In addition to taking out his lip piercing a week earlier, he’d cut a fair amount off his hair, (his roots were growing in any way, and he didn’t really need to hide anymore) leaving only the tips blue. He fiddled with his cufflinks, borrowed from Steve, and straightened his tie again before groaning and walking away from the mirror. He headed down the hallway, rolling his eyes at the low whistle Steve let out when he rounded the corner into the living room. Steve grinned at him, unashamed, “What? You look good!” 

Tony stood behind the couch holding a glass, which he drummed his fingers on. “He’d look better in an actual suit, god knows where you even got that thing, but you’re right, he looks nice.” 

Peter shoved his hands into his pockets, cheeks flushing, “You think so?”

Steve balked, “C’mon, you kiddin’? You look great, son. Real spiffy.”   
  
  


“Mr. Hogan has arrived with the car.” JARVIS interrupted. 

Tony cleared his throat, taking a sip from his glass. “Alright, well. Ya know, have fun, don’t get caught drinking, use a condom, don’t do drugs but if you do at least make sure you do your lines off a clean surface, snorting actual dust is no fun-”

“Tony!” Steve snapped, rolling his eyes before shooting Peter an apologetic smile. “Just have a good time, Happy’ll pick you up when you’re finished. I know you’re not goin’ with the gal you’re stuck on but maybe tonight you lay the groundwork.” He teased, shooting Peter a wink. “Call us if you need anything, be back by midnight.” 

“Oh my god, you- BYE!” Peter called, darting to the elevator and disappearing. 

Tony threw back the rest of his glass, heading to the bar to refill it. Steve watched him move with a soft smile, eyes tracing the lines of his body. “You doin’ okay, sweetheart?” 

“Me? Fine, why do you ask?” Tony hummed, settling on the couch across from Steve, wedging his ties under his boyfriend's thighs. 

“Oh no reason, you always spend hours in the gym, have three glasses of scotch before 9 and-” 

“Point taken.” Tony squinted, taking another sip before setting his glass on the coffee table. “I just want him to make good choices. He’s been through a lot, we don’t really know all that much about his friends, I mean I know everything about his friends down to the blood type, but I don’t know what kind of people they are-”

Steve’s cheek raised as a crooked grin slipped across his face, crinkling his eyes. “You’re worried.”

“Wh- No, I’m not. I’m doing risk analysis. It’s science, Steven.”

“No, I think you’re worried.” Steve goaded, pulling at Tony’s legs until he moved them to his lap. “I think you care, more than you’re willing to admit, and you’re worried.” He reached over and slipped a hand behind Tony’s back, lifting and pulling him until the brunette was straddling his thighs. “It’s not a bad thing, sweetheart.”

Tony settled his weight on Steve’s thighs, pinching his nose with a sigh. “I know it’s not a bad thing, I’m not an idiot. There’s a lot that could go wrong, alright? There’s a lot  _ I _ could  _ do _ wrong. I know you’re not concerned about that, Captain Perfect, but some of us have some shit that could really affect someone’s development.” He snapped, crossing his arms. 

Steve frowned, a crease forming between his brows. “Tony, is that what you’re worried about? I don’t know what the hell I’m doing either, but it’s been almost five months as we haven’t screwed it up yet. What are you so afraid of doing?”

“What if I say the wrong thing, and he remembers it for the rest of his fucking life?! Or if we forget some event or birthday and he never forgives us? What if I fuck up and pull you both down with me? I’ve done it before, who’s to say I won’t do it again?”

Steve shook his head, pulling Tony forward against his chest. “You’re not Howard, Tony. Do you think he ever thought about these things? Ever made a real effort to follow through for you?” He let the silence hang for a minute. “We both know he didn’t. We’re not his parents, we’re just his… guardians. You aren’t going to fuck it up, and if you did, there’s a whole team here to catch you, and Peter.”

\-------

When Peter stepped out of the elevator at 11:30 he was greeted by the sight of Tony asleep on the couch with a projection of a document glowing in front of him. He slipped out of his shoes and walked over, intending to close the document, maybe wake Tony up, and head to bed himself. 

When he reached the couch his eyes drifted to the text on the screen, his interest piqued. He used his hand to move the hologram over to the loveseat, sat down, and started reading. 


	15. Treacherous Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter gets a big scare, plus more set up! more cw: for flashbacks of ty and peter so CSA

Tony pulled the throw blanket over his face with a soft groan, burrowing further into the couch. 

“Oh! Good, you’re up.” Peter grinned, pushing a cup of coffee across the table to Tony. 

The scent lured Tony into a sitting position, hair sticking up on one side and a crease from the couch running across his cheek. He set back down his coffee, finally taking in Peter’s appearance. He was still in his slacks and button-down from the night before, his jacket and tie tossed over the back of the chair. “Jesus, were you up all night kid?” 

“Doesn’t matter. Who’s is this?” Peter asked, motioning to the holograms that still surrounded them. 

Tony squinted at the teen, sipping at his coffee for a long minute, relishing in the impatient look Peter fixed him with. “Doesn’t matter.” He shot back, setting his mug back on the table. “Academic journal, obviously, on its way to publication, just waiting for peer review. I just so happen to be one of the peers. What did you think?” 

Peter flopped back in the chair, sliding halfway down it as a wide grin spread across his face. “It’s amazing! I mean, the potential for a gama power reserve with that much energy? Holy shit, man, think of the applications for battles, or even for electric grids in densely populated areas, or, or-”

“So you liked it then.” Tony laughed, “Did you find any problems?”

“Well… it’s not a problem, really, the theory still checks out, it’s really more of an efficiency thing, but- What if you routed the power through a main hub first? It would make it more stable, and maybe even be able to splice out some of the radiation, but that’s like biology-”

“I think you’re right.” Tony huffed after thinking for a minute. “Hot damn, kid. If he could make the genes more susceptible to the radiation it’d keep some of it out of the main supply.” 

“Sooooo, who’s he?” 

“A friend, you’ll meet him later, he got here last night.” Tony hummed, finishing his coffee and wandering to the kitchen for a refill. “So how was your night? Surely an academic journal wasn’t the highlight.” He teased, settling back on the couch. 

Peter shrugged, “Fine, I guess.” He mumbled, shoulders dropping some. 

“Oof, that bad? Did your ‘dame’ end up with some other guy?” 

“No!” Peter scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “We actually danced together, and we almost-” He trailed off, rolling his eyes and continuing when Tony stared at him pointedly. 

“We would have probably would have done something more if I hadn’t freaked out for no goddamn reason.” He grumbled, tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling. 

“Freaked out about what?”

“It’s nothing, it doesn’t matter. She’s probably never gonna talk to me outside of decathlon again anyway.” 

“C’mon spider boy, it can’t be that bad. Did ya throw up on her shoes? Call her the wrong name in bed? Trip her while you were dancing?” Tony teases, voice softening when he saw Peter’s frown deepen. “I know I’m not Mr. Old Fashioned.” He jerked a thumb down the hallway, “but I’ve been in my fair share of relationships, of all sorts.”

Peter fiddled with the button on his shirt cuff, finally speaking after a long pause. Tony wouldn’t judge him. Tony would get it. Right?

“We were dancing, and the song ended, and she said she wanted to get some air so we went out to the parking lot. And, and then I  _ finally _ got up the nerve to kiss her and it was great until she grabbed my tie…” He trailed off, his face betraying his casual tone. 

“I just flipped out, I was pushing her away, thank god her back was to the building and not the asphalt, I pushed her really hard, and she could have fallen-“

“Hey, hey, kid, it’s okay.” Tony interrupted, sliding to the end of the couch to be closer to Peter. “Breathe, buddy. You just got a little excited and didn’t know your own strength. Super strength and puberty don’t always mix.”

Peter dropped his head to his hands with a frustrated groan, “You don’t get it, I was scared. I was fine, everything was going as planned and then I-“ his voice broke. 

Tony nodded, weighing his words carefully. “Okay, uncomfortable question time. Why did that freak you out?”

“I don’t fucking know!”

“Yes, you do. Think, Pete. You said she grabbed your tie?”

Peter racked his brain, trying for the hundredth time to figure out what went wrong. 

_ Peter gasped for air, his vision starting to cloud as the fabric tightened even further around his neck.   
_ _ “I told you not to lie, Peter. Now, let’s try again.” Ty snarled, letting go of his grip on Peter's tie.  _ _   
_ _ Air flooded the boy's lungs as he dropped to his knees, coughing and sputtering.   
_ _ Ty leaned down and gripped Peter's tie once more, using it to tilt his head up so their eyes met. “I asked if you liked it.”   
_ _ Peter bit his lip until it bled, steeling himself for whatever came next before spitting out, “You know it’s not a lie, I fucking hate it. I hate you.” _

“Peter! Peter! Kid, c’mon you gotta breathe. I’m right here.”

Peter had curled forward, violently pulling in air and digging his nails into the palms of his hands. Tony had dropped to the floor in front of him, hand hovering over his knee in lieu of making contact. 

“J, count for us,” Tony ordered, biting the bullet and gently touching Peter’s knee. “Breathe, Pete, in for 4, hold it, now out for 6.” 

Peter managed to take a few trembling breaths before he bolted out of the chair and down the hallway, Tony hot on his trail. 

Steve appeared in the door of the bathroom a moment later, still shirtless, to find Peter vomiting into the toilet. Tony was behind him, hand tentatively placed on his shoulder. Steve caught his boyfriend's eye and mouthed the obvious question at him, rolling his eyes at the shrug he got from Tony. 

Instead of questioning further he grabbed a washcloth from under the sink and wet it, along with getting Peter water. Tony passed along the items when Peter resurfaced, having finally emptied his stomach. 

Peter muttered his thanks, rinsing his mouth and wiping off his face before tentatively taking in the state of the bathroom. Steve just looked plain worried, Tony wore a mix of concern and calculation, studying Peter’s movements. 

Peter dropped his eyes to his knees, which were up against his chest, letting the silence hang heavy in the air. 

Tony broke the silence after a few minutes, “Pete, do you need us to leave?” He asked, seemingly out of left field. 

This prompted Peter to raise his eyes, confusion written on his face. “N-No, don’t… don’t go.” He shook his head.

“Gotcha, not leaving,” Tony confirmed, looking over his shoulder to Steve for reassurance. He finally answered Steve’s question, mouthing ‘panic attack’ before turning back to Peter. 

Steve took a step further into the bathroom, “D’ya wanna get out of the bathroom, son?” He asked softly, giving Peter what he hoped was a reassuring smile when he met his eyes. 

Peter considered it for a minute before nodding slightly, only standing after Tony did, and positioning himself directly behind the man. Tony led them back to the living room, taking a seat in the middle of the couch.    
  


Peter stood, eyes darting between seating options. He sat next to Tony (maybe closer than he ever had, but that was unrelated) on the couch, pressing himself into the cushions as if he could actually disappear into them. Steve had gone to grab a shirt, leaving them alone again. 

“You okay, bud?” 

Peter shook his head, “I don’t…. I-I can’t do this with h-” 

“You need me to make this a confidential sesh? Cap will understand.” Tony interrupted an uneasy confirmation of his earlier thoughts in the bathroom dawning on him. 

Peter wrapped his arms around himself and nodded, looking more guilty than Tony thought he’d ever seen anyone look- and that just wouldn't do. 

“Hey, no, it’s fine. He’s a big boy, he’ll make it.” Tony smiled, petting Peter's knee gently. 

“Can we go to the lab?” Peter asked, voice thick and eyes glassy as he stared up at Tony. 

“Of course, kid. Go on down there, I’ll be there in a minute. I’ll just tell Cap we need to work.” 

Steve almost ran into Tony as he opened the bedroom door, frowning. “Why aren’t you with Peter? Is he okay, what’s-”

“It’s okay, he’s going to the lab, J will tell me if anything happens. I think I know what's going on, and uh, if I’m right it makes sense that he’d rather talk to me, so, ya know, don’t be offended.” Tony rambled, “I’m gonna go down there and try to figure out what triggered that, but I...That looked a lot like a PTSD flashback.”

Steve nodded, pulling Tony into a tight hug, resting his chin on his head. “Okay. You be careful, alright? I know you… get it. But you’re not a therapist, okay? Don’t...I won’t know what to do if you both go down, so be careful, please?” 

“I will, I promise.” 


	16. A Poor Choice of Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rough day was had by all.

After a long,  _ long _ talk with Peter (No, you’re not broken. No, this won’t always happen. Triggers come in all shapes and sizes. It’s about learning to manage it, maybe you would benefit from therapy. You’re safe now. He’s gone. I understand. He did it to me too.) Tony finally emerged from the lab, jumping when he saw Steve sitting in the hallway outside. 

“How long have you been waiting out here?” He huffed, holding out a hand to help Steve up. 

“Only a few hours. I wanted to be close if you needed anything.” Steve shrugged, looking behind Tony for Peter. 

“He crashed on the couch, U and Dum-E are watching him,” Tony explained, clearly exhausted. “I need to call Pep in the morning to get him into therapy, he thinks it’ll help.”

“How are you holding up?” Steve asked, still holding Tony’s hand as they stepped into the elevator. 

“I’ll be fine, I’m worried about him. He’s still just a kid.” Tony brushed him off, crossing to the bar in the living room for a drink. “I can’t sleep anytime soon, you should go to bed.”

“What are you gonna do?”

Tony shrugged, knocking back his glass and refilling it (not acknowledging Steve’s raised eyebrow at the motion). “Can’t tinker, don’t wanna wake the kid up. Maybe go fly for a while.” 

“You should stay in the tower at least. In case he wakes up.” Steve countered, sighing. “I know this is hard for you, sweetheart but you need to take care of yourself-“

“Steve, I’m  _ fine _ . I have dealt with bigger shit than this, I don’t need you crawling up my ass.”

“Well excuse me for wanting to make sure my partner is doing alright.” Steve snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. “You can do what you want, but you should really consider what side of yourself you want Peter to see. Seems to me you had a lot of complaints about growing up with a drunk.” He knew as the words left his mouth that he shouldn’t have said it, but watching Tony’s face fall was confirmation. 

“Tony, I didn’t-“

“Don’t be, Cap. Truth hurts, just forget about it.” Tony interrupted, turning and heading down the hallway without another word. 

Steve watched him go, mouth hanging open. Foot, meet mouth. He stood there for a minute before he knew what to do, finding his phone.

_ ——- _

Tony shut the door of his office, maybe a tad too forcefully, and drained his glass again. What the actual fuck? He was being bitchy, sure, but when wasn’t he? And Steve has… shit, he’d essentially compared him to Howard.

“Lock it down, J. Including The Captain.”

“Done, Sir.” 

He walked to his desk and rooted around the bottom drawer, triumphantly pulling out a pack of cigarettes after searching a minute. 

“East window.” He commanded, crossing to the window as it opened, courtesy of JARVIS. He lit up a cigarette and propped his hip against the windowsill, taking a long drag. He looked at the sunset over the city as he exhaled, letting his mind wander. 

He felt like he was floating, adrift without a tether. Peter was fragile. Strong, fuck he was so strong, but he was still just a kid. And Tony was… 

_ “Really only good for one thing, huh Anty? Fuck are you good at it though.” Ty panted, hand clenching tighter in Tony’s hair as he pushed his hips forward. _

_ ——- _

_ “Fucking useless, Anthony. How am I supposed to leave my company, my  _ **_empire_ ** _ to a boy who can’t keep his shit together for 10 minutes.” Howard was seething. Tony’s more recently blunder had landed him front and center on every tabloid in the nation.  _

_ ——- _

_ “You promised me, once, that you wouldn’t become like him.” Maria’s yes we’re unfocused, staring out the window. “Now, you’re off drinking and sleeping around. You’re becoming what you hate about him, Tony…. it scares me.” _

_ ——- _

_ “You have time to change this, Stark. This device has given you another chance, a chance to shift the narrative. Change your legacy. Take back your life, be the man you’ve shown yourself to be.” Yinsen sat across from Tony in the cave. The suit was ready and so was he.  _

He put out the cigarette and tossed the butt into a trash can before walking over to the piano he’d had brought to his office. It was an antique stand up piano from the 30’s, since Steve had developed a soft spot for Tony’s playing. And Steve was right, he had missed it. Just like tinkering in his shop, it slowed down his racing thoughts and gave him something to do with his hands that required precision and control. 

He sat and ran his hands over the keys gently for a minute before picking a song and starting. 

He was still locked in his office at 2 am when Steve knocked on the door softly. 

“Tony? Are you coming to bed?”

When Tony felt his eyes start to glaze he cursed quietly, blinking furiously. “Not tonight, I’m working.” He called back, hoping Steve wouldn’t call him on it. 

He didn’t. 

“Will you at least let me in so we can talk?” Steve asked, voice tight with emotion. “I’m sorry, I didn’t-“

“It’s fine, really I’m not mad. I just need a little time, okay? I’ll see you in the morning.”


	17. Rhodes to the Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while! This part will be coming to a close soonish, and then another installation in the series will be going up!

“Sir, I regret to inform you that Cornel Rhodes is repeatedly requesting access. He is threatening to quote, “Suit up and break the door down himself.” if not acknowledged. 

Tony groaned and he opened his eyes. His head was pounding (in large part due to the nearly empty bottle laying on the floor next to him) and his body was complaining about his position on the floor. 

“Go away, Rhodey!” He called, wincing at his own volume. 

“Go to hell! Open this door now, Tony or I swear to god-“

“Uh, fuck, just let him in J. Keep your volume down, Platypus.”

A second later Rhodey was inside and the door was closed again. He was still in his uniform, looking like he hadn’t slept at all. He took in the state of the room, and his friend, and shook his head. 

“We’ll get to this”, he motioned to Tony and the bottle with a scowl, “later. Let’s start with why I got a call from Steve telling me I  _ needed _ to get here?”

Tony dragged himself into his office chair, slumping back in it and closing his eyes. “I don’t know, ask him! He was the one being an asshole and as much as I love seeing you, I’m not the one who called you, Honeybear. Talk to Cap.”

“I did. From what I gather Peter had an episode, you handled your shit until he was okay and then you promptly got triggered, and refused to let Steve help you. Which led to him getting pissed and saying something he shouldn't have,” (Here his jaw tightened for a minute before releasing again, the only sign of how pissed he was at Steve.) “and you went on a bender.” Rhodey crosses his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. 

“I did not get triggered-“

“You did, move past it.” Rhodey snapped, rubbing a hand over his face. “Listen, I laid into Steve for what he said, he’s not off the hook here. But neither are you. Peter is worried sick, and he’s trying to hide it but he clearly feels responsible.”

“I know, I fucked up. I shouldn’t have been drinking like that but I’m fine Rhodey, it was just a bad night. Peter was still asleep, it’s not like I was blackout drunk and swinging from the landing deck.” Tony sighed, fishing two aspirin out of his desk. 

“We both know that’s not true. Having Peter here is bringing up a lot of shit for you, shit that you don’t like dealing with. Steve told me you were getting Peter into therapy, maybe you should go back too.” He held up a hand when Tony opened his mouth, “Still talking. Whatever happens with you and Steve is your business but Peter needs you to be stable. I think he’s great for you, and that you are inexplicably probably the most equipped to help him. But you need to be honest with yourself about how much you can handle. Peter’ll be okay if you, or Steve, need to step back and let this be more of a group effort.” 

“I can handle it. No one else would understand, the team is great with him but it’s not the same.” (“And I need him too much to let him go.”) “Last night was just… it was bad, ya know?” Tony shook his head. “I don’t know what I’m doing, I don’t want to fuck this up, but I can feel something coming, Jamie.” Tony’s heart was racing, his hands sweating suddenly, and his thoughts too jumbled to notice the slip of Rhodey’s childhood nickname. “I’ve been having dreams about Howard, and Ty, and the fucking Chitari. What if they’re coming back? I can’t let them hurt the team, or Peter, or anyone else on this floating fucking rock, there’s so much I have to do before it all ends-”

“Tones, breathe.” Rhodey put his hands on Tony’s shoulders, shaking his head a little. “Man, why didn’t you tell anyone it was getting this bad? I haven’t seen you like this since right after the battle.” He squeezed Tony’s shoulders, trying to ignore the slight trembling he felt. “Nothing’s coming. Thor would have a heads up, the team has a handle on the domestic threats. It’s okay. Everythings going fine. Look, the rest of today is about resting and fixing shit with your boyfriend and your kid. I’m here until tomorrow.”

“He’s not my kid.” Tony mumbled, leaning into Rhodey's touch as he tried to calm himself back down. 

“If he’s not your kid then I’m not your best friend.” Rhodey snickered. 

\-----

The men emerged from the office an hour later, laughing as they came down the hallway. “Peter?” Tony called, looking around the living room with a quirked brow. 

“You seem like you’re feeling better.” Peter answered, suppressing a chuckle when both men jumped, Tony’s eyes darting up to find him on the ceiling. 

“You’re gonna kill me, kid. Would ya come down from there?” Tony shook his head with a slight smile. “Where’s Steve?”

Peter shrugged, not moving from his position dangling from a web. “Why would I know? No one tells me anything.” He grumbled. “I checked the whole tower, he’s not here. JARVIS doesn’t know where he is, and he didn’t leave a note. He leaves a note when he goes to the fuckin’ bathroom, but not now.” 

Tony frowned, slipping his hands into his front pockets. “Alright, I deserve the attitude. Cap and I are fine, and even if we weren’t,  _ you’re _ fine. You always have a place here, with me or with Steve.”

“Whatever.” Peter snarked, “Just… Go find him and fix this, it’s weird.” 

Tony opened his mouth to snap back, closing it again when Rhodey cleared his throat. “Right. Well, you stay here with Platypus and I’ll be back with Cap.” 

——-

Steve’s face was tinged pink and his shirt was plastered to his back, soaked with sweat. He threw another punch before wrapping his arm around the punching bag as it swung back towards him. He turned to face Tony, finding him leaning against a bank of lockers. “Hey.” He breathed, dropping his arm back to his side awkwardly. 

“Hey.” Tony smiled, “You reak.”

Steve rolled his eyes, starting to unwrap the tape from his hands. “Gee, thanks.” He closed the distance between them and pulled Tony into a tight hug, lifting him off the ground slightly and tucking his face into the crook of his neck. 

“Oof, hey, easy there big guy.” Tony chuckled, voice a little thicker than he’d like to admit. 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to say-“

“Steve, don’t. It’s okay. We’re okay. I forgive you.” Tony interrupted, wrapping his arms around Steve, pressing a kiss to his temple. “I’m sorry too, you just wanted to help and I wouldn’t let you.” When Steve let him go he offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I think we royally pissed Peter off, though.” He sighed.

Steve frowned, “We’ll just have to fix that then.” 


	18. Dad

Rhodey was sitting on the couch in the common living room when the men returned back to the tower, barely glancing up when they stepped out of the elevator. “There you two lovebirds are. Your kid’s gone.” 

Tony dropped Steve’s hand immediately, the suit already flying to him as he yelled, “WHAT?”

“Oh my god, you’re such a Dad.” Rhodey laughed, shaking his head. “He said he was going for a walk, he’s been gone a while. I don’t know where he went, but he’s old enough to go off by himself. Kid’s Spiderman for fucks sake.” 

“JARVIS, remind me to murder James later.” Tony demanded, grabbing Steve’s arm and dragging him off towards the landing deck. 

“Wait, sweetheart, do you even know where he is?” Steve asked, wrapping his arm around Tony’s waist and stepping onto his foot anyway. 

“Gotta hunch.” Was the only reply he got before they were flying into the sky. 

——

The alley was dark, though not too narrow, and reeked of garbage and piss. The robbery had been about 20 minutes ago and after ensuring everyone in the store was fine, the chase was on. Peter now had three out of five men webbed to a chain-link fence he’d backed them up against; the remaining two were advancing on him, one with a knife out. 

“A switchblade? Really dude? What year do you think it is?” He laughed, dodging a punch from the unarmed man and simultaneously sending a kick aimed high at his chest. 

The man stumbled back, trying to regain his footing. Suddenly a bright blast knocked him to the ground and left him unmoving. The switchblade hit the floor as the other man dropped to his knees and put his hands up. “Oh fuck, it’s Iron Man!” 

Peter whirled around, the eyes on his mask adjusting as he glared at Steve and Tony. “What the fuck?! I had them!”

“And now the police will have them.” Steve asserted, motioning for Peter to follow him. “Come on, we need to move.” 

Peter groaned dramatically, turning back to look at the men who were still conscious. “Okay, well, you deserved this! Don’t be criminals! Robbery’s not cool, and if you really gotta do it hit the corporations, not a fucking bodega, you losers.” He shot a web to each of the buildings on either side of them before pulling them taut and launching himself up, over the side, and onto the roof. 

“Oh my god, I hate teenagers.” Tony huffed, grabbing onto Steve and flying off after Peter. Peter had pulled his mask up, breathing heavily and muttering to himself as he paced around the roof. 

Steve frowned and shot Tony a look before addressing Peter. “Son, you shouldn’t be out here when you’re...like this.” He tried, stumbling over his words slightly. 

“Like what?! I’m fiiiiine, doing great, why wouldn’t I be?” Peter snarked, crossing his arms. “You’ve been M.I.A. for like two days and  _ now _ you show up, just to finish my fight for me?” 

Tony’s faceplate slid up as he walked towards Peter. “You have every right to be pissed, we didn’t handle that well. We don’t know what we’re doing, obviously, and we fucked it up.” He shrugged, “I’m going back to therapy. You are, and I clearly need to have some… support. To be able to support you. I mean, your therapist will support you, but as like...guardians, or whatever-”

“What he’s trying to say is we’re both scared. We both have our own things to deal with, but that shouldn’t be affecting you. We’re sorry. We’ll communicate better from here out.” Steve interrupted, walking to rest a hand on Tony’s shoulder (the suit’s shoulder, really). 

That seemed to snap Peter out of it, his face softened and he stopped glaring. He was quiet for a minute before he spoke again, his voice shaky and soft. “You didn’t leave a note. You-You always leave a note, and you were just  _ gone _ -” His voice broke here, his eyes welling up with tears. 

Steve rushed towards him, pulling him into a protective hug, “Is that what- God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

Peter curled into Steve’s chest immediately, now clearly crying. “You can’t just leave, D-Dad wasn’t in the lab and JARVIS wouldn’t tell me, and then you were gone and-”

Tony had already stepped out of the suit, but he paused when he heard the muffled ‘Dad’ come from Steve’s chest. He felt himself tear up and quickly forced it back down, losing the distance to wrap an arm around each of them. “Pete, it’s okay. You need to breathe, bambino. We’re right here.”

Peter’s breathing evened out after a few minutes, though he showed no intention of moving from their arms. “You can’t just leave like that.” He mumbles after a few hiccups. 

“We won’t. We shouldn’t have.” Steve promised, “Can you tell us why it upset you so much?”

Peter shrugged, wiggling a hand up between his chest and Steve’s to wipe his nose on his suit. 

Tony wrinkled his nose, “Remind me to clean that later.” Peter ignored him. 

“I dunno, I thought… I thought you were gone, and I… I was scared.” He finished after a minute, voice barely above a whisper. 

“I’m sorry we scared you, sweetie.” Steve’s voice was strained, his grip on Peter tightening slightly. “We can talk more later, lets go home.” 

When they arrived back at the tower they went directly to their floor, avoiding everyone else entirely. “Go get out of your suit, it’s gross. And for the love of god, don’t wear it again until it’s been cleaned.” Tony told Peter, waving a hand down the hallway. “And think about what you want for dinner.” 

Once Peter’s bedroom door was closed Tony slumped against the kitchen counter, “God, I need a hot shower, and like, 12 cups of coffee if I’m gonna keep parenting.” 

Steve smiled softly and closed the distance between them, leaning on the counter next to Tony. “You’re doin’ a pretty good job of it, Dad.” He teased, nudging Tony’s shoulder.

“C’mon, let’s not. He probably didn’t even mean to say it. I’m a parent, but I’m not a Dad.” Tony chuckled, “How are you holding up?”

“I’m never gonna forget to leave a note again.” He mumbled, shaking his head, “I feel like such a knucklehead.” 

“Me too. He’ll forgive us, though. He’s too good to hold a grudge.”


	19. Lessons

When Steve and Tony finally fell into bed it was well after midnight. They’d cuddled up on the couch, Peter sandwiched between them, and ate their weight in pizza while Peter talked over several Star Wars movies. 

Steve stripped down to his boxers and slid into bed behind Tony, pressing his chest to his back and wrapping an arm around him. He settled his hand just under the arc reactor and tucked his nose behind Tony’s ear, kissing the skin there. “I missed you. Couldn’t sleep with you mad at me.”

Tony hummed, pressing back into Steve’s touch, “Me too. We’re good.” He yawned, eyes already closed. “Now sleep.”

_ An explosion. The car screeches to a stop, pain erupting inside. Gunshots, fallen soldiers. An old weapon, his name emblazoned on it like a prophecy.  _

_ The cave. Yinsen. The fight. Escape. Finally, rescue. Rhodey. Home.  _

_ But through it all, guilt.  _

Tony stumbled out of the bedroom and down the hall to the office, trying to shake off the dream that had woken him up. He opened the door, only looking up when he found the light already on. 

Peter slowly spun towards Tony, hanging upside down from a web attached to the ceiling. He’d been looking out the window (upside down, apparently) but now looked at Tony with wide eyes. “Uh… hi.” He waved.

“What’re ya doin in here Pete?” Tony asked, reaching up to rub the sleep from his eyes, blinking forcefully a few times before focusing in on Peter. 

He’d righted himself on the floor, showing ruffled hair and a sleepy teenager consumed by a large hoodie. “Sorry, I can go, it’s just cold on the balcony and you were asleep so I thought-“

“I don’t care, kid. You know you’re welcome anywhere.” Tony yawned, shuffling into the room and flopping onto the loveseat. “Sorry to crash your party. I couldn’t sleep either.” 

Peter relaxed visibly and nodded his sympathy. “That’s okay. I’d kinda like the company.” 

“If I’m what you’d call company.” He snorted, already feeling a little better. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while before Peter spoke. 

“I always knew there was something out there, ya know. This whole planet is too…small, to be all there is.” He was looking out the window again, hands pulled up inside his sleeves. “I was just a kid when the Battle of New York happened and you… But then we knew, just how much more there was. Don’t get me wrong, it was awful, but there was something kinda nice about knowing how insignificant this all is.” 

“We’re nothing more than a blip on the screen.” Tony agreed, stretching his legs out over the armrest. “But I’m a futurist. If we really only have a century at most to be here, better make damn sure resources are ensured for the next batch.” He shrugged, “Anyway, significance is just an abstract. Significant to who? Measured by what scale? Sure, significance for the world at large, but interpersonal significance is just as important. I didn’t really get that until a few years ago. Miss Potts did a lot more work than she gets credit for.” He chuckled. “I’ve done a lot of awful things. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make up for it. But I can try, and I guess that’s all I can do. And I can’t be doing too bad a job if the universe decided to throw Steve, and then you, my way.” 

Peter grinned at him, eyes moving from the loveseat to the piano. “I didn’t know you played.” 

“Mmmhm, took lessons, because rich people, but even then my Mom played when she was home. I didn’t really need the lessons, it was more a reason to get out of the house than anything.” Tony hummed, watching as Peter stared at the piano. “I hadn’t played in years, but Steve found out and he’s pretty fond of it. And it’s nice to have something to tinker with when I’ve been banned from the lab.”

“I’ve always wanted to learn. My Uncle could play a little. He only remembered a few songs but he’d play them when we went to the music stores.” Peter explained, looking back to Tony to find him watching with an endeared smile. 

“Still wanna learn?”

“Really? You’d teach me?”

“Why not? I’m not the best teacher in the world but you’re smart enough to compensate.” Tony teased, pushing himself off the loveseat and sitting on the piano bench, “C’mon, kid. You can’t learn from over there.” 


	20. Guilty as Charged

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ask and you shall receive?

“You’re sure you’ll be alright?” Tony asked again, even as he was being pushed into the elevator by Steve. 

“It’s a week, sweetheart. We’ll survive.” Steve grinned, hopelessly endeared by Tony’s reluctance. “And no, we really can’t come with you. Peter has a test tomorrow and I need to make sure the team doesn’t destroy the tower.” 

“Ugh, fine. I’ll call you when I land.” Tony sighed, accepting another kiss from Steve before the doors slid shut. 

Steve laid back on the couch with his book and read until Peter got home, about a half-hour later. Peter walked into the living room and slid over the back of the loveseat, settling upside down with his shoulders on the seat and his knees over the back. 

Steve glanced at him over the top of his book, raising an eyebrow. 

“Girls are confusing.” Peter grumbled as way of explanation. 

Steve snickered and closed his book, setting it on the coffee table. “No argument there. People are confusing, but it’s usually worth the effort. What happened?” There had been bits and pieces of information since the dance, but overall Peter had been pretty tight-lipped. 

“We have this huge final and we all suck so I was like, hey maybe we should get together and study, and she said sure! But then she asked if Ned was gonna be there, and when I said no she looked… I dunno, but she had a look, and like what does that mean? Ned’s with Betty, and no offense, he’s my best bro but like I didn’t even know she liked having him around, not that she shows that she likes much of anything but-”

“Hold your horses, jeez!” Steve laughed, rubbing his hands over his face. “Son, it sounds like she agreed to study like you wanted. I’m sure she woulda said somethin’ if she didn’t want to study with just you. What kinda face did she make anyway?”

Peter shrugged, as much as he could from his position, “I dunno, her eyes got wide, and then she got a little red and said she’d text me later about the details.” 

“Peter, that could be a couple of things. I don’t wanna get your hopes up, but it sounds to me like she was expecting you to say Ned was going, and you surprised her. Maybe a happy surprise.” 

“Wait- ya think?” Peter grinned, flopping the rest of the way onto the loveseat, ignoring Steve’s grimace. “Cuz that would be great, but I didn’t even think she’d look at me again after the dance.” 

“Son, she said she wasn’t upset with you, and now she agreed to study. At the very least she likes having you as a friend. And stop flopping around on the furniture, you’re going to muck it up.” Steve chuckled. 

Peter scrunched up his face and stuck his tongue out at Steve. “Fine.”

Steve hummed, “Nat and Clint got called in, and Thor’s off-world. Bruce is with Tony, so it’s just us. What do you wanna do?”

Peter shrugged, “I need to study for my French final, and I was gonna go patrolling later.”

“You still having trouble with it?” 

“Yeah. When am I ever gonna use French anyway? It’s not like I’m in Canada or something.” Peter sighed, staring at his backpack with disdain. 

Steve cleared his throat and sat up the rest of the way, resting his hands on his thighs. “Ya know, French just so happens to be one of the only languages I can speak.”

“Wait, really? I mean I knew Tony did but no offense if it’s not tech he’s like, the worst teacher ever.” 

“He can certainly be difficult.” Steve agreed, “Dernier was French. We all picked some up during the war, but he insisted all the Howlies have proper pronunciation if he had to listen to us.” 

Peter beamed, “That's so cool! What else did you learn?”

“A little bit of German, dirty words in Polish, mostly French though. That was the only other native language within the unit, and that’s who I spent most of my time with.” He explained with a wistful smile. 

“You don’t talk about them much. I know what they tell us in school, and what you told me about Bucky and Peggy. They must have been really brave.” 

“The bravest men I’ve ever known.” Steve nodded, dropping his eyes to the floor. 

Peter chewed on his bottom lip, guilt washing over him. “Shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-“ 

“Hey, no, ‘s alright.” Steve reassured, shaking his head. “It’s nice to talk about them. I’m glad kids now still hear about them. They deserve to be remembered.” He promised, eyes a little glassy, but genuinely smiling. “Just brings up a lotta feelin’s, not all of them great ones.” 

Peter nodded his understanding. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Peter suggested working on his French review. 

\-----

Tony has been gone for three days and everything was going great. They’d gone patrolling together, worked out in the gym, managed to pull an A- on the French final. Steve was just getting out of the shower when he heard the elevator doors open in the living room. Peter has wanted to patrol by himself and while Steve was happy to give him his space, something seemed off. 

He’d been quiet all day and had no plans for the weekend, which was abnormal for him. When Steve headed to the living room a few minutes later to check on him he found Peter sitting catatonic on the couch, still in his suit. 

He was holding his mask in his hands and staring atas if it held all the answers. He heard Steve come in, of course, but didn’t acknowledge him beside croaking, “Does it ever go away?”

“Does what go away?” Steve asked softly, waiting for Peter to meet his gaze, not that he did. 

“The guilt. I-I try to do the right thing. If someone is in trouble, I help them. I patrol as much as I can but it seems like I’ll never make up for it. I know they say you’re not supposed to feel guilty, but they don’t get it. It was my fault, I could’ve- I thought you’d get it since…”

“Oh.” Steve breathed, “Peter, I’ll never really get over it. Losing Bucky meant I lost a part of myself. You can’t love someone that much and still be whole when they leave you.” He cleared his throat, though his voice was still strained when he continued. “But that was someone I was… very,  _ very _ close with. I feel guilty when I can’t save someone during a fight, but it’s not the same. You can’t save everyone, son.”

Peter shook his head, looking up at Steve with tears streaming down his face. “I’m not talking about patrolling.” He choked on a sob, dropping his face to his hands. 

Steve moved to the couch and rested his hand on Peter's shoulder, mind racing. “I don’t know what you mean, sweetie.” He admitted softly, wrapping his arm more firmly around Peter when the boy leaned into him, still crying. 

“It’s my fault they died. They were all I had and I-“ He hiccuped.

“Peter, you gotta breathe. Who?”

\-----

Peter was finally asleep, head on Steve’s lap, cheek smushed against his knee. After finally calming Peter down enough for him to explain Steve had spent hours assuring Peter it hadn’t been his fault. The unfortunate reality was that even if he’d apprehended the robber another criminal could have hurt his family. It was a cruel, cruel joke. For a kid to carry both survivors guilt and a kind of twisted responsibility for his Aunt and Uncle's demise. 

When he lost his mother it broke his heart, but when he lost Bucky- the last piece of home, it had destroyed him. He couldn’t imagine that pain but at 13. The more he learned about Peter the more he understood the kids deep need to do the right thing. He was so much like Tony, too smart for his own good, snarky, traumatic childhood, but Steve couldn’t help but see himself too. The shy smiles, strong ethics, wonderful manners, and deep loyalty.

Peter shifted in his sleep and scrunched up his nose before relaxing again. Steve smoothed his hair out of his face with a soft smile, leaving his hand resting on Peter’s head. When he woke up there would inevitably be more tears, but that was okay. He’d already sent a message to Peter’s therapist making an appointment for the next day, and had planned for a team dinner afterward. 

He couldn’t make the guilt go away, but he could help Peter carry it. 


	21. Home Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is back home, with news and a mission. Peter's still trying to navigate his budding relationship with MJ. Steve takes a leap of faith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for this part! Sorry the last chapter took so long, plot is dumb. The first chapter of the next part should be up this week, along with some one-shots from this universe.

Steve, Peter, Nat, Sam, and Clint were all seated around the kitchen table, laughing and swapping stories when JARVIS interrupted them. 

  
“Pardon my interruption, but we appear to have visitors.”

Steve was out of his seat in a millisecond, scanning the room for threats, “Peter, go to your room.” He barked, already motioning for the other to follow him before he heard Tony’s voice, muffled by the elevator surrounding him. “Wait, it’s just-”

Tony stepped out of the elevator, looking as though he’d just stepped out of a meeting, though the ruffled hair and loosened tie told a different story. Bruce followed closely behind him, his button-down shirt was untucked from his slacks and the sleeves were pushed up his arms unevenly. Both men looked slightly deranged. 

“Tony what are you doing here, you’re not due back for two more days.” Natasha sat back down, though she was still on high alert. 

Tony glanced at Bruce before he addressed the kitchen, “We have a bit of a situation. Everyone meet up in the lab in ten minutes, our guest should be arriving any second.” 

\-----

Tony was sitting on a workbench, his suit jacket now discarded, mumbling something to Bruce, who stood next to him. An older man with a kind smile sat in a wheelchair near the workbench, observing the people in the lab. 

“Anthony’s never been one for introductions, so I supposed I’ll do it myself.” He spoke, “My name is Charles Xavier.”

Steve glanced from the team back to the men at the front of the room. “Steve Rogers. What can we do for you, Sir?”

“I know who you are, Captain. I was a boy when you helped defeat Hitler. While you are all no doubt capable, the question is less what can you do for me than what I can do for you.”

Tony finally looked away from Bruce, bags under his eyes betraying him. “We need to find someone. Natasha, what do you know about The Winter Soldier?”

Natasha’s eyes widened, “ _ That’s _ who we need to find? Easier said than done.” She sighed, looking to Clint briefly before continuing. “He’s a ghost. I mean, some people don’t even think he exists. But I saw him once, he’s fast, strong, had some kind of enhanced arm.” 

“Why are we looking for this guy?” Sam interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Tony rolled his eyes, “We need him. Simple as that, alright? Finding him has always been impossible, but then again no one ever asked me.” He gloated, resting a hand on Charles’ shoulder. “Professor X here is gonna help up with that part. We just need to be ready to bring him in.” 

Silence hung for a long moment before Peter spoke up, “How?” 

Professor Xavier offered him a gentle smile. “I have telepathic abilities. I can locate any mutant, read and project thoughts, emotions. Under the right circumstances, I can do even more .” 

“Wait, The Winter Soldier’s a mutant?” Clint asked.

“Not that we know of, but we do have a genetic signature. I’m going to work on isolating it to an identifiable point.” Bruce explained, “Tony will make a program, comparable to Cerebro, that we can plug it into.” 

“Then they plug me into it.” Charles teased, “And we should have a location.” 

The team asked a few more questions and talked amongst themselves before agreeing, though there wasn’t much resistance. They dispersed after a few more minutes, Bruce and Charles heading up a floor where Bruce’s lab was located. Soon only Peter and Steve were left in the lab with Tony. 

“Alright, Sam can’t know why we’re looking for this guy. Can I?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. 

Tony pulled his tie off over his head and tossed it onto the bench, shaking his head. “Steve- Look, I can’t alright? It shouldn’t take very long to get the program up and running, and assuming Bruce was right about his timeline, we’ll be ready soon.” 

“Tony!” Steve started, brow creasing.

“Can you not?” Tony snapped, “I can’t fucking tell you, if you’re going to be a petulant child you can get out of my lab.” 

“Fuck you too.” Steve huffed, turning on his heel and storming out of the lab. 

Tony dropped his head to his hands, having forgotten Peter was still there until he spoke quietly. 

“Tony? Are you okay?” 

When Tony looked up his eyes were glassy. “Yeah, kid. I’m fine.”

Peter nodded, crossing to the coffee machine to pour Tony a cup. (He’d no doubt had JARVIS start it as soon as he was back at the tower) He delivered it to Tony looking back to the door Steve had left though. 

Tony took the mug and nodded towards the door, “Thanks. Now, get out of here. I can’t keep replacing those custom punching bags, what am I, made of money?” He teased. 

Peter grinned, hesitating for a second before leaning down to awkwardly give Tony a tight hug around his shoulders. “Okay. Just, don’t work too hard.”

“Never do.” Tony answered, watching him go before getting to work. 

——-

When Peter entered the gym he found Steve holding his training shield in the center of the ring. He told JARVIS to run it again and immediately two blue holographic pillars appeared. He threw the shield, which hit one mark and then the other before he caught it. 

“Seems a little ironic that you’re using a training code he wrote  _ for you _ while you’re mad at him.” Peter snickered, walking further into the gym. 

Steve sighed and turned to face him, “Peter, you shouldn’t be involved in this. We’ll be fine, he just pisses me off. Plus I’m out of punching bags.” 

Peter shot a web from one wall to the other, hopping up into the makeshift hammock and crossing his arms behind his head. “Yeah, no, I get that. He can be a dick. And I’m already involved, I’m basically an Avenger, dude.”

“You’re also 15,  _ dude _ .” Steve shot back, hitting the next several targets when they appeared, all without looking away from Peter. 

“Cool, you’re like 150 or something, so why are we bringing up ages like they matter? And stop deflecting, that’s Tony's move. You and I usually talk like normal people, but if that’s not what you want I’ll just go hang out with Clint instead.”

Steve’s shoulders dropped, “JARVIS terminate session.”

Peter grinned triumphantly, shooting a web to create another hammock next to his. Steve raised an eyebrow, setting his hand on it and pressing down. “Oh cmon scaredy-cat, it’ll hold you. Plus it’s super comfy.” Peter teased.

Steve rolled his eyes and got in, laying in the opposite direction as Peter so they were facing each other. He settled back and shrugged, “I hate when he gets like this. We’re a team, he shouldn’t be making decisions alone.” 

“Do you mean the avengers, or like,  _ you’re  _ a team. Like a love team.”

“We’re gonna have to work on that before you ask that girl on a date, son.” 

Peter stuck out his tongue and flipped Steve off, his hammock bouncing slightly with the movement of his arm. “You know what I mean. It seems like Dr. Banner knows what’s going on, and the professor isn’t part of the team but we have no reason not to trust him. Sooooo that leaves the love team.”

“Fine.” Steve huffed, “It’s the love team. He came back early with no warning, something’s clearly wrong, he’s told other people, why not tell me?”

“It’s a shitty move, but you trust him, right? Just give him some time. I’m sure he has a reason.” 


End file.
